Starman takes over Pay-TV multiplexes
Cable operator Starman is taking over the sole ownership of the ZUUMtv DTT multiplexes.
Reports say that Starman already owns 66% of EDTV, ZUUMtv’s holding company, and has agreed to buy the 34% held by Levira.
ZUUMtv broadcasts 20 Pay-TV channels on two of the countries three DTT multiplexes and currently has 16,500 subscribers.
Free-to-air services are also available in Estonia on the third multiplex, which is operated by Levira.
Main source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 8th July 2008



Boost for DTT in Estonia
According to Broadband TV News, press reports in Estonia say that the government is offering to waive next years licence fee of €1.6 million, which would have been paid by commercial broadcasters (TV3 and Kanal2), if they start digital transmission by the official Estonian analogue switch over date of July 1st 2009.
A mixture of pay and free-to-air services are already available on the DTT platform, which launched at the end of 2006.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 26th June 2008


DVB-H trial launched
Broadcast network operator Levira and telcom operator EMT have launched a DVB-H pilot trial in Tallinn.
Seven free-of-charge channels are currently on offer and more will be added later.
New legislation is necessary before a full DVB-H service can take place but it is hoped that this will happen this year or early next year. The current trial runs until the end of 2008.
Source: Levira press release   and Broadband TV News
Item added: 12th May 2008


Analogue switch-off date confirmed
Following the approval of a draft amendment to the Broadcasting Act, the analogue switch-off date has now been confirmed as June 2010 and not February 2010 as previously reported.
Estimates indicate that 200,000 households rely on the terrestrial platform for their primary television reception.
A switchover pilot programme on the island of Ruhnu was also completed on the 31st of March and now viewers only receive their terrestrial programmes via the digital platform.
Source: Digitag attributed to the Government Committee for Transition to Digital Television
Item added: 15th April 2008



Starman launches Digital TV channel
Cable and TV provider Starman is to launch its own TV channel, to be called Neljas TV (Fourth TV), on the 22nd February.
The new service will mainly broadcast programming from the USA and UK and will only be available to Starman’s cable and DTT subscribers.
The two leading commercial broadcasters in Estonia have still to join the DTT platform.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 11th February 2008

Analogue Switch-Off date brought forward
The Culture Ministry in Estonia has brought forward the ASO by two years according to Broadband TV News.
After reviewing the digital transition in other countries a quick and painless switch-off is preferred for Estonia.
The new ASO date of February 2010 will be reviewed in 2009 to see how the market has responded to DTT.
At present only pay DTT, TV services are available and these have not been as popular as expected by the provider ZUUMtv which only has 6,500 subscribers. Independent sales of set top boxes have yet to start and to encourage more services the Culture Ministry has offered to exempt Estonia’s two leading commercial broadcasters TV3 and Kanal 2 from paying the 2009 annual licence fee if they launch DTT services by March 1st, 2008.
They are also likely to have their licences, which are up for renewal in 2009, extended automatically until 2015 if they switch off analogue broadcasts in 2010.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 4th December 2007

Third DTT multiplex for Estonia
Estonian television company Levira will open a third DTT multiplex this week according to a report by Chris Dziadul in Broadband TV News.
The new free-to-air public and commercial channels will cover almost 100% of the country.
Its coverage is greater than the 93% currently available from the two other DTT multiplexes, which provides 20 pay TV channels from ZUUMtv. Recently ZUUMtv reported that there pay TV subscriber base was not as high as predicted and currently stood at 6,500.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 27th November 2007

Levira HD/DTT trial continues
DigiTag report that the HDTV trial started by Levira in June 2007 is continuing. Both LUXE.TV HD, which is free-to-air and VOOM HD, viewable by pay-TV subscribers, have both been available since August 2007.
The trial is available in Talin and the surrounding area as well as the southern part of Estonia. Coverage is estimated as 50% of the population.
The trial is expected to continue until the end of the year and may be continued until April 2008 if a licence extension can be obtained.
Source: Digitag and Levira
Item added: 14th November 2007


Terrestrial HD to be trialled in Estonia
In July transmission company Levira will start pilot HD transmissions of ETV’s (Estonia’s public broadcaster) first channel over its DTT network.
The service will begin for subscribers in Tallinn and Valgjarve in the south of the country. Many of them already have HD-enabled set-top boxes and will later be offered two more HD channels.
Levira which is part owned by TDF launched its DTT service, in December 2006, jointly with Starman, which is Estonia’s leading cable operator. The service utilises MPEG-4 compression and presently distributes 20 SD channels on two multiplexes covering over 80% of the population. The third multiplex will be launched in August increasing the offering to 30 free-to-air channels and increasing coverage to 95% of the population.
Source: broadbandtvnews
Item added: 5th June 2007



Estonia launches DTT services
DTT services were officially launched on the 15th December 2006 in Estonia.
This makes Estonia the first country in the world to launch DTT using the MPEG-4 AVC compression standard and the first in the region to launch DTT.
Tallinn the capital city and the area covered by the Valgjarve transmitter brings the DTT coverage, at the start of DTT service, to around 50% of the population. ZUUMtv provide the new service, which consists of 18 Pay-DTT programmes.
By the time the DTT platform is completed, 22-24 television programme services will be made available, of which 6-8 will be free-to-air.
Coverage is expected to be extended to 95% of the population by September 2007 and the initial 2 multiplexes will be increased to 3 by the end of 2007.
Source: Digitag Web Letter 57
Item added: 19th December 2006

DTT launch in Estonia on target for December 2006
Estonian broadcasting transmission company AS Levira and Estonia’s leading cable TV operator AS Starman have agreed on a joint venture to be named Eesti Digitaaltelevisioni AS (Estonian Digital Television Ltd.)
The new company will provide Digital Terrestrial Television services starting in December 2006, especially to those who are outside the reach of the cable network.
The service offered by Eesti Digitaaltelevisioni AS will initially reach 63% of the population at launch and 96% of the population by the end of 2007 and consist of 18 pay channels with an additional 3-6 free-to-air channels becoming available in 2006-2007.
Levira has already started the roll out of 3 country wide MPEG-4 DTT networks which are planned for completion by the end of 2008.
Source: Levira
Item added: 26th September 2006

DVB-T service launch expected at the end of 2006 using MPEG-4
The government has decided that DVB-T services will be launched in Estonia by the end of 2006.
Services will by launched by broadcast network operator Levira and provide content from Estonia's largest radio broadcaster and its public service broadcaster, Eesti Television (ETV).
Levira has announced that it will roll-out 2 multiplexes this year while a third multiplex will be launched in 2007-2008. A fourth multiplex may be launched in 2009.
In addition, it has been decided that the MPEG-4 video compression standard will be used.
The government would like the DTT package to provide at least 15 television programme services, including the television services currently accessible on the terrestrial analogue platform. DVB-H services are also planned for provision in the future.
Analogue switch-off has been set for 20 December 2012, although it may begin in some regions as of 2010.
DTT trials have been undetaken since 2003 in the capital Tallinn. The trial current provides 3 television programme services (Euronews, BBC World and TV3+ Estonia) using the MPEG-2 video compression standard and 2 television programme services (ETV) using the MPEG-4 video compression standard.
Source: Digitag
Item added: 6th March 2006

EuroNews on Estonian DTT
EuroNews has extended its distribution following the channel's launch on the digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform in the capital city of Tallinn, Estonia. The channel has been launched in the Baltic region in Estonia by Levira, the operator of the Estonian DTT platform. Around 250,000 viewers in 70,000 Estonian households will have access to the channel in Russian, English, French and German.
Source: Advanced-Television.com
Item added: 26th April 2005

Background

Estonia started a DVB-T pilot trial during December 2003 in the Tallinn area. The transmission was increased to four simulcast programmes in May 2004 and it is anticipated that 220,000 households in Tallinn and the Harju area will be in the reception zone.

In June 2004 a document "Conception of Introducing Digital Broadcasting in Estonia" was drafted by a working party led by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication and other interested parties. Respective changes in national legislation are expected soon. Source http://www.ero.dk/dvbt-impl

The information provided comes from several sources and whilst DVB believe it to be correct we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

If you have any more up to date information or corrections please send them to dvb@dvb.org

Latest page update: 8th July 2008, Barry Tew