ITV has leased a further two transponders from SES ASTRA.

The company already leases 3 transponders from SES. Those are used to deliver the ITV1 regional channels and ITV2. The new transponders will be used to expand on the delivery of regional services through the satellite platform and to allow the broadcaster to increase its interactive services.

Alexander Oudendijk, SES ASTRA senior vice president of sales and marketing, said: "We are very excited to be extending our business relationship with ITV, which holds an important position in the UK broadcast industry. There can be no greater endorsement of the quality and strength of our service."

ITV's broadcast CEO, Mick Desmond, said: "ITV1 is the most popular commercial television channel in Britain, but to stay at the top against a background of continuing digital viewer growth, we need to ensure that we have the transmission capacity to meet our digital strategy objectives. SES ASTRA was the natural choice when we decided to increase our capacity, not just because of its proven technical expertise and experience, but also because of its unrivalled security and back-up facilities."