SES Astra signed a deal with French pay-TV group Canal+, which will see the group use a transponder at 19.2 degrees East to broadcast high-definition (HD) content, SES announced April 6. Canal+ in HD was launched in March on Astra while National Geographic HD will be launched in June on Canalsat.

“This new contract further strengthens our commercial relationship with one of the most important Pay-TV broadcasters in Europe and our main customer in France”, Ferdinand Kayser, CEO of SES Astra, said in a statement. “We are very pleased that Canal+ has decided to extend its satellite capacity on Astra to launch its first HD offer in France. Together with our new activities, we are broadcasting 8 HD programs on Astra 19.2 degrees East. This is a proof for the rapid development of this technological innovation in Europe.”

In other HD news, satellite pay-TV operator, BSkyB unveiled details of its much-anticipated launch of service in the United Kingdom, announcing that sales of HD decoders will begin next week and installations in May.

Customers will pay 299 British pounds ($524.60) for the Sky HD box with subscription charges at 10 pounds ($17.60) a month in addition to their Sky digital subscription. The Sky HD box will be equipped with 160 gigabytes of personal storage space, allowing for storage of about 30 hours of HD programming.