NRTC, NTCA Offer Rural Telcos 80+ HD Channels

The National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) and the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA) announced Tuesday that telcos now have the opportunity to deliver more than 80 channels of high-definition (HD) programming. In recent weeks, NRTC has more than doubled its HD offering and has created programming packages that enable rural telcos to derive incremental revenue.

The HD offering includes premium services like HBO and Starz; the entire ESPN HD lineup; and services from Disney, Discovery Communications, Lifetime Networks, Smithsonian and the Tennis Channel.

NRTC has created two tiers of HD programming. HD Basic gives telcos a way to deliver HD at no cost to the telco and includes channels like CNN HD, ESPN HD and Bravo HD. HD Tier includes premium high-definition channels like A&E HD, HDNet and HD Theater (Discovery Networks).

NRTC offers its members more than 350 video and audio channels. NRTC’s distribution agreements include rights for telcos to deliver the programming in IP and analog formats over copper, fiber or coaxial cable. In addition to the rights to HD services, NRTC also has acquired rights to these channels’ video-on-demand services, when available.

In September of 2007, NRTC and NTCA officially launched their IPTV programming solution. NTCA invested in this opportunity in order to ensure that members had comprehensive access to quality video content.

NRTC has more than 1,400 rural utilities and affiliates in 47 states. NTCA represents more than 560 locally owned and controlled telecommunications cooperatives and commercial companies throughout rural America.

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