SES ASTRA, an SES company has announced that TNTSAT, the French digital terrestrial free-TV offer via the ASTRA satellite system has further extended its reach. Only 16 months after its launch more than one million TNTSAT receivers have already been distributed to French households.

The ASTRA satellite system serves more than five million French direct-to-home households, including TNTSAT viewers, from its prime orbital position 19.2 degrees East.

TNTSAT is a service targeted to regions in France where TV households cannot receive signals from terrestrial transmitters. It offers French TV viewers the full range of French digital terrestrial free-TV channels over the ASTRA satellites, allowing 100 percent coverage of France.

TNTSAT HD will be launched on 15 February 2009 with the free DTT (Digital Terrestrial TV) channels in High Definition, TF1 HD, France 2 HD, M6 HD and ARTE HD, available on ASTRA.

To receive TNTSAT, households need a 60cm satellite-dish pointed to ASTRA`s prime orbital position 19.2 degrees and a TNTSAT receiver.