German HD Platform Records Subscriber Growth With SES

SES S.A. announced that its German HD platform HD+ recorded an 11.3% increase in subscribers in 2015. HD+ had 1.84 million subscribers at year-end 2015, compared to 1.65 million at year-end 2014. In addition, HD+ had over 1.1 million customers in their six-month free-trial period.

Users of HD+ have access to more than 50 HD channels, comprised of 30 public channels and 21 channels delivered by the largest commercial broadcasters in Germany, as well as the Ultra HD (UHD) demo channel, UHD1 by Astra / HD+.

“TV screen sizes positively correlate to picture and sound quality; people who own big screens would like to watch TV content in better quality and are prepared to pay for this. The strong growth that we are seeing in HD+ is proof that our customers like what they see on HD+ and are willing to pay for it,” says Wilfried Urner, Chairman of the Management Board of HD PLUS GmbH.

“And it doesn’t stop there. With one million UHD screens sold in Germany in 2015, HD is now seen as a minimum requirement for these UHD TVs. It is clear that the desire for better picture quality has never been greater. Additionally, the introduction of our new demo UHD channel, UHD1 by Astra / HD+, has also allowed our HD+ customers to immerse themselves fully in the spectacular visual experience,” says Urner. “Satellite covers virtually 100% of households with broadcast video capability, delivering flawless HD and UHD content, and is the ideal infrastructure to offer the brilliant TV viewing experience that audiences are looking for.”