CHESEAUX, Switzerland -- NAGRA, a Kudelski Group (SIX:KUD.S) company, and the world’s leading independent provider of content protection and multiscreen television solutions, and Samsung Electronics, the market leader in home entertainment for over ten years, today announced the world’s first commercial deployment of TVkey at German satellite operator HD+ (a subsidiary of SES). Jointly developed by Samsung and NAGRA, TVkey is the next-generation security solution for consumers to access encrypted pay-TV services directly on their TV sets without a set-top box or second remote.

A CES® 2017 Innovation Awards honoree, TVkey provides TV-platforms and pay-TV operators with a low-cost route to market for their services (including 4K and HDR channels). It entices new TV buyers to experience the beauty of 4K Ultra HD/HDR programming from the TV-platform or pay-TV operator instead of automatically defaulting to 4K OTT services. It is one of several strategies operators can use to attract new subscribers while reducing the cost of sales.

During a promotional period, buyers of compatible Samsung TV sets at participating dealers in Germany will receive the HD+ TVkey free of charge by registering on HD+ website. This also entitles them to a free six-month HD+ subscription, which upon expiration, can be converted to a regular subscription.

“The HD+ TVkey gives consumers HD+ channels without the need of a separate receiver or CAM module with smartcard – meaning access to HD+ becomes even easier,” said Georges Agnes, Managing Director and COO at HD PLUS GmbH. “Working with Samsung also gives us the ability to reach new customers as soon as they buy a new television through instant HD+ service activation. And because the solution uses the security we know and trust from NAGRA, we know our content partners will be satisfied.”

“We are delighted to be part of the first commercial launch of TVkey,” said Hyogun Lee, Executive Vice President, Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “By being the first company to launch TVkey, HD+ is showing true market leadership in how this exciting new technology can be deployed in a way that is beneficial to both operators and new TV customers.

Nagra