SES Astra, an SES GLOBAL company, and GlobeCast, a global satellite services provider and France Telecom subsidiary, announce an agreement to offer access to the Astra Satellite System at 19.2 degrees East to multicultural TV channels, targeting Spain and France.
The GlobeCast satellite multiplex located in Madrid and linked to Globecast's worldwide ATM fiber ring will ensure secured access to the Astra platform.
This agreement will notably enable additional ethnic channels to join the roster of digital free-to-air channels on Astra.
Astra currently broadcasts over 130 digital TV channels plus another 100 digital radio stations that can be received free-to-air with a simple dish antenna pointed at Astra 19.2 degrees East and a simple, affordable digital satellite receiver.
The number of households opting to receive digital Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite via Astra is increasing due to the growing interest in receiving quality and diverse television content at competitive prices.
This agreement provides a great opportunity for television channels to be accessed by more than 10 million European households receiving digital TV through Astra, of which 1.34 million are in Spain, and 2.99 million in France.
GlobeCast will deliver channels to the platform over its global transmission network that includes 15 teleports and technical operations centers on five continents, as well as via a global ATM fiber ring that interconnects GlobeCast's facilities worldwide to the multiplex gateway in Spain.
"Our partnership will benefit broadcasters by offering a one-hop global package to reach Astra viewers in Spain and in France from anywhere in the world", states Christian Pinon, President and CEO of GlobeCast.
"Astra is the world's most recognized name in Direct-to-Home satellite broadcasting, and GlobeCast is a leader in global DTH content distribution via satellite and fiber. GlobeCast's worldwide fiber and satellite contribution network will feed channels to our Astra gateway in Madrid".
Ferdinand Kayser, President and CEO of SES Astra, underlines: "With GlobeCast's digital gateway in Madrid, SES Astra is in a position to offer customers a secured satellite uplink to continental Europe's most popular orbital position of 19.2 degrees East."
"GlobeCast, with its global transmission network that includes 15 teleports and technical operations centers on five continents, is ideally positioned to drive new business to the Astra platform, and thereby further enhance the programming choice available to millions of Astra households in Europe."
