France - Orange triple play

Orange TV will cover more than 98% of French households from July 3rd as part of its triple play offer

As part of the deployment of Orange's triple play offer (telephone, Internet, TV), 24 million French households (98.3% of the mainland population) will be able to enjoy Orange TV from July 3rd. Agreements recently signed with Eutelsat have made it possible extend the Orange TV offer. Up until now, broadband TV technology only enabled half of France's households to benefit from the offer. Thanks to this combined ADSL-satellite technology, Orange TV programmes will be available to virtually all French households.

At the MIPTV 2008 event in Cannes, Orange confirmed the selection of two orbital positions for Eutelsat HOT BIRD(TM) and ATLANTIC BIRD(TM)3 (broadcasting from 13° East and 5° West) to handle the satellite broadcasting of the TV flow reception of its triple play offer (telephone, internet and TV), where this is not accessible via ADSL. Globecast, a subsidiary of the group, will handle the encoding, encrypting and transmission of the Orange TV channels.

As of July 3rd, nearly all French households will be able to subscribe to an Orange triple play offer (from E29.90 a month). Depending on where they live, customers will be equipped with either Orange TV via ADSL or via an installation combining ADSL and satellite reception. As of 23 May 2008, the orange internet site www.orange.fr will provide information on the practical aspects of Orange TV access and determine eligibility.

From July 3rd, all Orange triple play customers will have access to dozens of free channels as well as packages of optional channels. The entire offer, including interactive services, VOD and TV on demand, which are already accessible to customers via ADSL, will be gradually extended to customers of the combined offer.

The 4.8 million household subscribers of Orange tripleplay already equipped with a dish directed towards Eutelsat satellites will be able to receive a combined ADSL-satellite set top box to plug into their aerial. Other customers will be put in contact with an aerial technician to install a satellite dish or redirect it if one is already in place.

Orange TV - access, uses, programs to provide a different TV experience

- Access: With nearly 1.3 million subscribers to broadband TV at the end of March 2008, Orange is the world leader in broadband TV[1]. A pioneer of TV and VOD on fixed and mobile broadband networks in Europe, Orange offers up to 200 TV channels, including the major national channels, the free terrestrial digital (TNT) channels, Canal +Le Bouquet and Canalsat, as well as a choice of 7 packages of channels.

- New kinds of use: Orange is responding to the changing expectations of its customers which involves the individualisation of consumption, the quest for quality thanks to high definition and the improvement of networks (pre-deployement of fibre optic and mobile broadband), consumption in mobility, continuity or the possibility of watching a programme at any time and at your own pace (VOD and "TV on demand" or catch-up TV) and, finally, the richness of the offer.

- Programs: Orange TV has offers more than 60 free channels included in the triple play offer, an extended offer of 7 thematic channel packages and a VOD (since 2002) and an SVOD service, i.e. VOD on subscription (since 2006), with a catalogue of more than 9,000 programs.

In September 2007, Orange launched Orange sport in partnership with the CNOSF (French national Olympic and sport committee), dedicated to all sports and, in particular, those that do not generally receive wide media coverage. Orange sport also offers an interactive news service and VOD, as well as event-dedicated channels giving live coverage of competitions (Roland Garros, Route du Rhum, etc.). In the framework of this partnership, Orange sport will cover the 2008 Olympics from its studio in Beijing from August 9th.

On August 9th the Orange football service will be launched, with Orange obtaining the rights to League 1 for the next four years. In the days to come, Orange will be providing more information on its football offer.

From autumn 2008, Orange will launch Orange Cinéma Séries, the first single premium TV service available on all screens (TV, PC, mobiles) with a very wide offer of films and TV series on an exclusive basis, as well as a selection of catalogue works, thanks to the signature of agreements over several years signed with Warner Bros. International Television, HBO, Gaumont and Fidélité Films.