Belgian telco Belgacom has introduced a new package called 'Belgacom TV Comfort', which replaces the 'Classic+' package and includes the 'Comfort View' feature set (Pause TV, Rewind and Record), between 75 and 90 standard-definition linear channels (depending on location) and five high-definition channels.

The new package costs EUR 12.50 per month, with 75 standard-definition channels available in Wallonia, 82 available in Flanders and 90 available in Brussels, plus five high-definition channels: eén HD, Canvas HD, vtm HD, TF1 HD and France 2 HD.  Rental of the set-top box, offering HD reception plus PVR features, costs EUR 6 per month.

New customers of Belgacom TV automatically receive the Comfort package, including HD channels, with the modem provided free of charge until May 19th, as well as two months of subscription plus the decoder rental.  Additional high-definition channels are available as part of other packages, including Eurosport HD in the 'Movie & Sport' package, and BBC HD, Exqi Culture HD and MTVN HD in the 'Select' packages.

Belgacom reported a successful 2008 for its IPTV service Belgacom TV, adding 201,000 subscribers in the 12-month period to reach 506,000 by the end of the year.  We will be publishing a video interview with Bernard Rapaille, Head of TV at Belgacom, on the IPTV News homepage shortly, which we conducted at the IPTV World Forum in London last month.