We heard that Numericable was planning to deliver a few new high-def channels to its lineup late last year, and while it has definitely taken longer than locals would have liked, it's hard to complain with new HD channels in Europe -- belated or otherwise. Effective immediately, subscribers interested in watching Ushuaia HD and / or Eurosport HD can select the Premium package in order to tune in, and we're also told that SciFi HD and 13th Street HD should join the party in the near future. In related news, a multi-year agreement between the cable carrier and TF1 will give customers access to TF1 HD, so yeah, even more reason for applause.

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Since launching back in May, Eurosport HD has found its way onto quite a few European carriers. Now, it can safely say it has found a home in France, as CanalSat has decided it best for this network to join TF1, France 2, Arte, Canal+ and M6 as the available high-definition options. We're told that the channel will provide some 2,000 hours of HD content to French viewers over the next year, and it seems things are already underway. Watch out, Europe -- France is quickly becoming to one the follow in the HD realm.

It's arriving a little later than in other parts of the world, but Eurosport HD has finally launched on Sky+ HD in the UK. The station is exclusively available as part of a high-def subscription package on slot 412, and should provide HD coverage of the Beijing Olympics and all sorts of other sporting events here in the near future. The addition brings the carrier's total HD lineup to 19, which isn't too shabby for that part of the globe.

Although Hungarians have tasted HD in their homeland before, we're pretty sure having a full platter is much preferred. National broadcaster Antenna Hugária has just announced that it will be launching HDTV services via its Antenna Digital cable platform at the close of this month. Reportedly, the service will be available initially in Budapest and surrounding locales, though we aren't told if plans are in place to spread it elsewhere. Two new packages are slated to become available, the first of which includes National Geographic HD, Eurosport HD and m2; as for the second, you'll find HBO HD. Better still, those who subscribe to m2 HD will already have a ticket to the televised version of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing (in HD, of course). Prospective consumers will be asked to upgrade to an HD-capable set-top-box as well as hand over HU 990 per month ($6.16) for the first HD tier and HU 799 per month ($5.50) for HBO HD.

Despite the lingering feeling that Europe just isn't digging HD, two major cable providers across the pond have just added a dash of high-def to their lineups. Up first is Danish carrier YouSee, which has introduced Eurosport HD just as the French Open Tennis championships got underway. Next up is Sweden's own Com Hem, which has inserted Eurosport HD and National Geographic HD into its HD tier. There's no word on future expansion for either operator, but we're thrilled to see progress being made -- even if it's relatively minor.

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We already knew that Eurosport HD would be making the rounds in various parts of Europe, but now we've got confirmation that the forthcoming high-def version will also be carried in Poland. Cyfra+ (a Polish digital satellite platform) will begin offering the channel as soon as it goes live on May 25th. The network will join Canal+ Film HD, Canal+ Sport HD and National Geographic HD as the only HD stations available on said carrier, though Eurosport HD will purportedly cost around €1.44 ($2.24) per month to enjoy.

[Via Broadband TV News]

Not quite two years after we wondered when HDTV would ever make its way across the pond -- and not even two weeks since we found that barely 5-percent of European HDTV owners even watch HD programming -- along comes news that yet another channel is slated to go high-def in Europe. And for what it's worth, we've all ideas this one will get some attention. Eurosport is getting set to launch an HD simulcast channel on May 25th, just in time for the start of the French Open-Roland Garros tennis Grand Slam. Additionally, viewers can count on seeing content from the Tour de France and the Beijing Olympics, and for folks stuck watching SD, at least that version will be morphing from 4:3 to 16:9. As of now, carriage agreements have been landed on "platforms in Israel, Turkey, Portugal and the Nordic countries, where Canal Digital will deliver the channel."