Digitaltveurope.com

Finnish telco and pay TV operator DNA has added two HD channels to its cable TV offering.

DNA has added commercial broadcaster MTV’s Sub and AVA channels in HD to its cable offering, while MTV3 HD is now available free-to-air for the first time.

All three channels can now be viewed via DNA’s cable network without a smartcard.

From today, all three channels are available free-to-view for all DNA cable homes.

The majority of channels in Bonnier Broadcasting-owned MTV’s C More pay TV offering can be viewed in HD quality on the DNA cable network. For the free-to-view channels, subscribers need a cable-ready HD receiver.

Digital-terrestrial viewers of MTV3 HD will continue to need a smartcard, while cable customers will still need a card to view the Nelonen HD, Fox HD and National Geographic HD channels.

In total, DNA’s cable platform now offers over 50 HD channels, the company said.

“We are very pleased to have reached an agreement on the distribution of MTV’s HD channels to our viewers. Our goal is to provide all channels with the best available picture quality. This is also what our customers want, as the HD readiness of cable households is already at an excellent level with nearly all cable network households able to view high-quality HD broadcasts,” said Mikko Saarentaus, director at DNA Entertainment Business.

“We want to provide our customers a better viewing experience with our selection of HD channels. We have invested heavily in a selection of domestic entertainment that comes into its own when viewed in HD quality,” said Risto Koivula, deputy managing director at MTV in charge of distribution.