Arqiva, the communications infrastructure and media services company, has today announced a partnership with Welsh free-to-air TV channel S4C, enabling its delivery in High Definition (HD).
Delivered by Arqiva’s spot-beam satellite technology, S4C HD launched on 7 June 2016 – three days prior to coverage of the UEFA Euro 2016 Championships, which saw the Welsh national team reach the semi-finals and attracted an audience of over 416,000 football fans throughout the course of the competition.
The channel – available on Sky and Freesat 104 in Wales (and Sky 134 and Freesat 120 in the rest of the UK) as well as on-demand platforms, including BBC iPlayer – will deliver high definition, Welsh-language broadcast coverage watched by over 629,000 viewers a week on- and offline.
Steve Cowin, Chief Technical Officer at S4C commented: “HD is important for TV viewers in 2016 – it is something that audiences both expect and deserve. The fact that we were able to do this in time for the UEFA 2016 Euro Championship was very important for us.
“We’re pleased to be extending our partnership with Arqiva to include the delivery of this HD option. From day one the HD stream was nearly faultless, meaning minimal alterations during transmission testing and final deployment within a short time period.
“The successful channel launch means our local audiences can now enjoy content – be that original drama (like Y Gwyll) entertainment, news or sports – both in high quality and Welsh-language, which is a significant step forward for us.”
David Crawford, Managing Director of Satellite & Media at Arqiva commented: “At Arqiva we pride ourselves on delivering high quality, reliable satellite solutions, and consider service excellence and client support core aspects of our DNA.
“Having delivered S4C in SD via DTT broadcast for many years, we’re delighted that the channel has confirmed its confidence in Arqiva’s expertise by extending its HD business to our talented satellite communications team. We look forward to continuing our relationship with S4C, helping them to deliver an even higher standard of content to their Welsh and wider UK audiences.”