Servus TV, the commercial broadcaster owned by energy drinks brand Red Bull, will encrypt its channel for viewers in Austria on the Astra pay-television service from the start of March.
A Servus spokesperson told the Broadband TV News website said that decision had been made following the broadcaster’s acquisition of rights in Austria for the MotoGP motorcycling series.
Servus had previously been available on a free-to-air basis in Austria. The Servus channel for German viewers will remain unencrypted on Astra.
In January, Servus struck a deal with Dorna, MotoGP’s commercial rights-holder, to show live coverage in Austria of every race and qualifying session for the 2016 championship, as well as the Moto2 and Moto3 classes. The deal includes online and mobile rights in Austria.