[08.09.2011] Intelsat's Premier Video Neighborhoods Continue to Attract World's Top Programmers
Luxembourg, 7 September 2011
Intelsat S.A., the world’s leading provider of satellite services, today announced several new contracts with media customers utilizing Intelsat’s premier video distribution neighborhoods. The agreements provide programmers the ability to deliver content to customers across vast geographic regions and the globe.
“With a dependable, robust network and knowledgeable personnel, Intelsat continues to take our media customers to global audiences,” said Kurt Riegelman, Intelsat’s Senior Vice President of Global Sales. “Intelsat’s strategy to reposition existing satellite assets, and to launch new and optimized capacity to enhance our video neighborhoods, enables our customers to expand their services in new and exciting ways.”
Intelsat’s global satellite fleet, combined with the IntelsatONESM terrestrial infrastructure, continues to attract the world’s top programmers.
New Contracts in Europe
Intelsat has entered into a multi-year, multi-transponder agreement with Orion Express LLC, a DTH television services provider in Russia, for standard- and high-definition content. To support this agreement, Intelsat will move a Ku-band satellite to 85°E by the first quarter of 2012, leveraging its fleet to deliver extended capacity to Orion.
Once moved to 85°E, the satellite is expected to remain in service through 2023. Its wide beam ensures consistent signal reception from Russia’s western borders to Irkutsk, a major city in Siberia.
In Eastern Europe, DigiTVs’ owner, S.C. RCS and RDS S.A., renewed its contract for capacity at Intelsat’s 1°W video neighborhood. As the leading DTH services operator in Central and Eastern Europe, RCS serves more than 2 million subscribers across five countries.
New Commitments in the Americas
STN, Ltd., a leading broadcast-over-satellite provider, recently entered into an agreement to offer international content to its customers in North America, greatly expanding the reach of its programming platform. The multi-year, multi-transponder deal will allow STN to offer the direct-to-home content on Intelsat’s Galaxy 19 at 97°W.
Portugal Telecom renewed its multi-year contract recently for the distribution of Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, the nation’s public television channel, across Latin America and Africa. The content will be provided via Intelsat 805 at 304.5°E and in Africa on Intelsat 907 at 332.5°E.
Intelsat also announced it has signed a multi-transponder contract with Avail-TVN for C-band services on Galaxy 28 at 89°W. The multi-year agreement will allow Avail-TVN to provide a suite of IPTV, high-definition and VOD services to its customers across North America and the Caribbean.
Anhanguera, Brazil’s leading for-profit professional education company, is migrating all of its services on C-band capacity to Intelsat 1R at 310°E. The multi-transponder deal will allow Anhanguera to broadcast up to 50 channels from its uplink centers in Brazil, which will be received by more than 500 distance learning centers nationwide.
Also on Intelsat 1R, Casablanca, Brazil’s largest SNG service provider, recently signed a deal for C-band service with Intelsat to provide “Cinelive,” high-definition, live content to 65 movie theaters across 23 cities. The agreement lets Casablanca create a live satellite network in Brazilian digital movie theaters that allows for alternative content distribution, including operas, sporting events, and corporate training.
Intelsat 1R has established itself as one of the best options for linear C-band contribution and distribution in Brazil.
Intelsat and TIBA, Latin America’s leading video carrier and content management provider, recently announced a contract extension for C-band capacity on Intelsat 27 at 304.5°E, replacing Intelsat 805 in late 2012 or early 2013. The multiyear, multi-transponder agreement will allow TIBA to provide standard- and high-definition video programming to tier 1 broadcasters in the Americas and in Western Europe for the 15-year life of the satellite. TIBA bundles its satellite broadcast services with the space segment to provide turnkey solutions to broadcasters for distribution of their video programming.
New Contracts in Asia-Pacific
In Asia-Pacific, Canal + Overseas S.A.S., the largest French-speaking pay-TV operator in the French Overseas Territories, signed a multi-transponder, long-term agreement on Intelsat 18, set to launch in October. The satellite will provide high power Ku-band capacity to enable high-definition DTH programming, in this case for New Caledonia, and is Intelsat’s growing neighborhood of largely French language programming for the Pacific Ocean region.
Bharti Teleports Limited recently signed a multi-year capacity agreement to provide video services in India and throughout Asia on Intelsat 17 at 66°E. The multi-transponder deal gives Bharti continued access to India’s growing cable headend community.
Intelsat continues to be a leader in the delivery of HD content, now offering more than 330 channels across the globe.
Source: http://www.intelsat.com