Viaccess has confirmed that Cana*l+ has selected its conditional access system for its TNTSat entry package. Scheduled to launch on June 15, TNTSat will replicate the line-up from the French digital terrestrial platform. The move is a surprise because Cana*l has traditionally used the MediaGuard conditional access system, now controlled by Nagra Kudelski, while France Telecoms Viaccess was the CA of choice at former rivals TPS. It is assumed that the simulcrypt system will be used to ensure the availability of the channels to existing Cana*lSat subscribers.
TNTSat will sit side by side with the Cana*l+ Cana*lSat package on Astra at 19 degrees East. It will feature 18 of the channels from the DTT platform together with France O from public broadcasters France Télévisions.
DTT services are currently available to 63% of the population and will extend to 95% by the time ana*logue switchover is completed in November 2011.
