Bell Tv announces 100 new hd channels
Bell Canada today announced a significant milestone for its satellite-based digital television service: the provider is the first in Canada to offer 100 high-definition channels.


With the addition of three new HD stations -- Los Angeles' KTLA, New York's WPIX and Boston's WSBK -- Bell TV [bell.ca/TV] has solidified its leadership as a high-definition broadcaster.

Bell TV, previously known as ExpressVU, launched Canada's first high-definition service in April of 2001. The company's offerings swelled from two channels to 101 in just eight-and-a-half years. In total, Bell TV delivers more than 500 audio and video channels to nearly 2 million Canadians.

"Given the fact 8 out of our Top 10 stations are high-definition, there's no question consumers want this," says Kevin Crull, President of Bell Residential Services, in an exclusive Sympatico.ca interview at Bell's Scarsdale Operations Centre in north Toronto. "It's important for our customers, as it's clear they want more high-definition, as well as our competitors, so they can see we're not resting on our laurels."

Crull says studies have shown many Canadians have purchased a high-definition television (HDTV) over the years but might not be unlocking its full potential. "Consumers are now discovering the quality and selection and it's blowing people away – it's hard to go back to [standard definition] quality after seeing something in high-def."

Delivering a 720p signal (1280 horizontal pixels x 720 vertical pixels), Bell TV's high-definition selection includes Canadian and foreign broadcasters (CTV, CBC, Global, CITY, as well as U.S.-based CBS, FOX, ABC, NBC and PBS) and specialty and pay TV stations (TMN, TSN, Showcase, A&E, National Geographic).

The company also announced today it would begin offering AMC -- including its hit television show Mad Men as well as movies -- on November 11, in both high definition and standard definition. To commemorate the unveiling, Bell invited actress Christina Hendricks ("Joan Holloway") to attend the media briefing at its Scarsdale headquarters.

When asked about her work on Mad Men, the attractive, red-headed Hendricks said flipping through the first script "was the best thing I've ever read," but wasn't sure if it would be commercially successful. "The show was on this little network called AMC," recalls Hendricks, "so while I stuck with it, I wasn't sure if anyone would see it --fortunately I was wrong." Bell's Crull says AMC is currently in more than 94 million homes.

Last month, Bell launched TMN Online, a North American first that lets subscribers watch more than 200 TV shows and movies online and on-demand at no extra cost. Today, Bell also announced that it will add Family Channel Online and Playhouse Disney Online to its online roster beginning Nov. 11