17 March 2014
Globecast has been chosen as the content delivery service provider for London Live, a new TV channel dedicated to London scheduled to launch on 31 March 2014. Globecast will provide turnkey connectivity for London Live, including satellite capacity and uplink, for UK subscribers of the Sky DTH satellite service. London Live will be available to Sky customers on channel 117.
London Live is London’s first dedicated 24/7 TV entertainment channel, offering Londoners the latest in arts, news, current affairs, sports, and events as is part of a wider trend towards localised content. London Live is owned by ESTV. ESTV won the London television franchise auction in February 2013, launching 31st March 2014. It will be available on Freeview 8, YouView 8, Sky 117 and Virgin 159 as well as being available in non-linear digital formats. ESTV is 100 per cent owned by Lebedev Holdings.
“We are extremely excited to be involved with the launch of London Live, the first 24-hour channel devoted exclusively to London and Londoners,” said Juliet Bayliss, Sales Director for Globecast UK. “In entrusting us with its new flagship channel, this is providing strong market validation of Globecast’s industry leadership and technical excellence. We’re looking forward to applying our experience and content delivery expertise to make London Live a resounding success.” (Source: press release)
16 March 2014
Arab Satellite Communication Organization -ARABSAT- announces the release of a Request for Proposal for the procurement of four new satellites to be designated HS3, HS4, AR6E and AR6A.
The new satellites will be positioned at three different orbital locations with a vast coverage over Middle-Eastern, African, Asian and European markets with high power DTH payload in Ku bands and Ka spot beams capacities. Arabsat CEO Khalid Balkhyour commented: “The RFP for Arabsat’s 6th generation satellites reflects the company’s views on the exciting growth opportunities ahead of us and our commitment to capitalize on these opportunities.”
The two new HS3 and HS4 satellites will be favorable to the replacement of Hellas-Sat’s current HS2 at 39° East orbital slot with additional capacities in Ku and Ka bands payload brought to customers with great flexibilities. HS4 will, additionally, provide Arabsat with prime Ku-band capacity over Europe and the Mediterranean which will complement the existing in-orbit capacity . The current Hellas-Sat 2 covers Eastern Europe, part of the Middle East and South Africa.
ARB6E and ARB6A will have payload capacities in Ku and Ka bands. They will be dedicated to support the growth of ARABSAT’s business and provide in-orbit backup capacity to its customers; and to serve the increase in the markets demand for satellite capacities and services over the Middle-east, Africa and Asia. All four satellites are set to launch in 2016 and 2017.
Proposals are due no later than May 1st 2014, and it is ARABSAT who will manage this tender and pertinent contracts, which will be awarded through a full and open competition.
(Source: Arabsat press release)
11 March 2014
SES announced today that Nawras, one of the largest wireless operators in Oman, has signed a capacity agreement on the NSS-6 satellite. The capacity will allow Nawras to provide services such as high quality GSM backhaul and broadband across the Sultanate, including rural areas. Nawras is an integrated services telecommunications operator serving about two million customers throughout Oman.
NSS-6 is located at the 95 degrees East orbital position. The spacecraft’s high-performance Ku-band beam is specifically devised to support key telecom infrastructure, enterprise and broadband networks across several regions, including the Middle East.
Wolfgang Wemhoff, CTO at Nawras, said, “Satellite is an important component in our network, as it caters for voice and Internet services in hard to reach locations. We have a trusted partner in SES, where we are assured of a robust and reliable service and the best technical solution, as well as a dedicated local team which understands the dynamics and specific requirements of our business here in Oman.”
“We are very pleased that Nawras has selected SES as a partner to provide connectivity to rural areas of Oman,” said Hussein Oteifa, General Manager Middle East at SES. “SES’s satellites allow reliable connectivity, even across challenging geographical terrains, and we are delighted to deliver these best-in-class satellite services locally. Our local SES team worked closely with Nawras to ensure the solution meets their specific needs and technical requirements”. Source: Press release
11 March 2014
SatLink Communications Ltd., a leading teleport, Content Management & HD Playout Centre, has today announced that SatLink has been selected by the Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency (ERTA) for the global distribution of its ETV news channel. The Ethiopian Government owned television channel, whose broadcasts include news, entertainment, music and sports content, will extend its audience reach across Africa, North America, Europe and the Middle East over SatLink’s Global Satellite and Fibre Network.
SatLink will broadcast ETV, whose aim is to broadcast informative, educating and timely information of the development of Ethiopia utilising state-of the-art technology, to the African market utilising SatLink’s capacity on AMOS -5 C-band to allow them to effectively distribute their content easily to Africa’s multi-channel platforms. As ETV’s partner, SatLink worked closely with the broadcaster in order to help design the uplink capabilities for the channel from ETV’s facilities in Ethiopia on to Amos 5 and ensure the network of satellite’s chosen specifically met the broadcasters needs and achieve the international reach that was required.
ETV will also be transmitted across Europe and the Middle East on Hot Bird 13.0° East on the Ku-band. For distribution into the North America market, ETV will take advantage of the Galaxy 19 at 97.0° West Ku-band, which hosts the largest ethnic video platform in North America, to reach the Direct to Home (DTH) ethnic market in the US.
ETV is the latest news broadcaster to select SatLink for the global distribution of content joining international news broadcasters such as France 24, i24 News, NTV-MIR and euronews and leading news agencies including Thomson Reuters and APTN.
Mr. Worku Gachena, Deputy Director General for Media Technology at ETV commented: “We were looking for a global provider to not only distribute our content but to work alongside us as a partner to help us extend our global reach further than before. We needed a provider who had the experience to help design our uplink capabilities and also obtain satellite space on Amos-5 so we could meet the multi-channel platforms in Africa, a rapidly growing a prosperous broadcasting region. SatLink’s strategic location coupled with its extensive knowledge and experience in this market meant that we knew that they would be able to assist us as we extend our reach further and address our growing audience’s needs across the globe.”
David Hochner, CEO of SatLink, commented: “We are thrilled to work with ETV to extend its audience reach to different corners of the globe using our Global Satellite and Fibre Network. By working closely alongside ETV we gained a real understanding of their broadcasting requirements and were able to tailor a reliable and effective solution, help them uplink their signal directly from Ethiopia and be on the world’s most popular satellite TV platforms. As a result we have been able to proactively assist ETV meet the objective of reaching their audiences, much of which is scattered across multiple continents, so they are able to connect with the news that is happening back home in Ethiopia and share the success stories of the country.” (Source: Press Release)
10 March 2014
Broadpeak, a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) technologies and video-on-demand (VOD) servers for cable, IPTV, OTT, and mobile operators worldwide, today announced that it has teamed with global satellite provider Eutelsat to improve the delivery of OTT multiscreen services. Utilizing a combination of Broadpeak’s nanoCDN and Eutelsat’s “smart LNB” technologies, operators can cost-effectively deliver high-quality live TV channels over satellite to millions of subscriber devices, including TVs, PCs, smartphones, and tablets, using the same bandwidth. At CABSAT 2014 in Dubai, March 11-13, stand E1-10, Eutelsat will demonstrate the two technologies, explaining how Broadpeak and Eutelsat are transforming the delivery of DTH satellite services.
Eutelsat’s “smart LNB” is a low-cost device that bundles DTH reception of TV channels with a narrowband satellite return channel for short transmissions of IP packets. As such, it opens the door for broadcasters to operate their own ecosystem of linear television and connected TV services direct by satellite.
Leveraging the multicast capabilities of the network, Broadpeak’s award-winning nanoCDN technology allows operators to cost-effectively deliver high-quality, live OTT video services to millions of simultaneous viewers using only a few megabits per second. By effectively managing video consumption peaks that are not supported by the network infrastructure, nanoCDN dramatically improves the scalability of live OTT TV content.
“The combination of our two technologies is a game changer in the world of OTT multiscreen delivery via satellite,” said Jacques Le Mancq, CEO at Broadpeak. “Relying on the power of multicast, operators can cost-effectively deliver high-quality live TV channels over Eutelsat satellites to an endless number of subscribers anywhere, anytime, and on any device.” (Source: press release)
10 March 2014
Eurosport, the n°1 pan-European TV channel, and Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, world leader in 3D design software and 3D Digital Mock Up, will introduce a new 3D experience to the world of equestrianism during Eurosport’s live broadcasting of the Saut Hermès showjumping event, March 14 – 16, in the Grand Palais in Paris.
The bespoke experience developed by Dassault Systèmes uses the power of real-time interactive technology and 3D visualisation to explain the subtleties of showjumping for fans at the event and at home. As well as providing new insight for knowledgeable equestrian fans, the 3D animation is also designed to broaden the sport’s appeal and help present it to a wider audience.
The Grand Palais and the two main courses within the competition — the Saut Hermès and the Grand Prix Hermès — have been modelled in 3D. Using a touchless device and interacting with different camera views, international showjumper Michel Robert will guide a virtual rider and horse through the 3D environment to demonstrate the optimal route of each course.
Features, such as zoom, rotation and free movement along the track, will be used to explain the fans watching Eurosport’s live coverage the main difficulties of each obstacle and detail the strategic options available to make the best run, including the number of strides the horse must make between jumps and the lines the rider must take to save time.
Mehdi Tayoubi, Vice-President Global Experiential Strategy, Dassault Systèmes, explains the motivation of the company behind the collaboration: “As a world leader in 3D, we are always striving to explore new innovative usages with our technology to reach a wider audience. The world of sport provides a great opportunity for us to test its application for the spectators at Saut Hermès and for the viewers at home. Developing this project together with Eurosport and Michel Robert felt like a logical connection and a great way for Dassault Systèmes to work in a co-innovation spirit.”
Olivier Fisch, Global Commercial Director & Managing Director Eurosport Events, said: “We are delighted Dassault Systèmes has chosen Eurosport as entry point into the world of equestrianism. They share our ambition to bring the best possible coverage and choice to today’s fans. To demonstrate our knowledge and understanding of live broadcasting, Eurosport will continue to introduce new technological initiatives throughout 2014, our 25th anniversary year.”
As a world class sport where precision, speed and talent create thrilling competitions, equestrianism has a natural place on Eurosport. Over 50 million Europeans are reached annually on Eurosport TV through equestrian content.
Besides the Saut Hermès created and run by French house Hermès, Eurosport covers other major equestrian events sponsored by brands such as Gucci masters, Rolex Grand Slam, Longines Global Champions Tour and the FEO World Equestrian Games.
Fans can watch Saut Hermès on Eurosport 2 on Saturday 15 March from 18:00 – 19:30 and on Eurosport from 20:00 – 21:00 CET.
This is followed on Sunday 16 March with the “Grand Prix Hermès” live on Eurosport from 15:45 – 17:30 CET.
For a video on Dassault Systèmes 3D technology used live on Eurosport for Saut Hermès, click here: https://vimeo.com/88637749 (Source : press release)
