China Central Television (CCTV)(CN) entered into a contract with Eutelsat Communications SA to have three of its flagship channels broadcast internationally in high definition, according to a Jan. 23 press release.

The long-term distribution contract with the French satellite operator will see the Chinese state broadcaster's channels CCTV-4 HD, CGTN HD (formerly CCTV News) and CGTN-Documentary HD (formerly CCTV Documentary) aired across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The HD channels, beamed from Eutelsat's HOTBIRD satellites, are available in English and Chinese.