10 March 2014
Globecast, global content management and distribution provider, and ARABSAT announced today that they have extended their relationship for the distribution of the Global Arabic Bouquet (GAB), a grouping of premium Arabic channels from the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) that has been made available across the world since the establishment of this relationship in 2004.
Since the launch of their partnership, Globecast, ARABSAT and ASBU have expanded the Global Arabic Bouquet’s potential viewership and footprint, offering a single global coverage to ASBU members. Arabic language channels are now able to join the bouquet and reach viewers on all five continents free to air. Globecast – ARABSAT and ASBU’s partner for the worldwide distribution of the GAB – is providing all the technical services required for end-to-end delivery.
Georges Baroud, CEO Globecast Middle East said, “It’s pleasing that this partnership is being extended for a further five years. This is a reflection of our continued technical leadership and also our customer service. We look forwards to another five years as we believe that in partnership with ARABSAT and ASBU we have created a strong, global platform for expats and newcomers to the Arabic world alike.”
Khalid Balkheyour, ARABSAT President and CEO, added “We need to ensure both quality of service and cost-effectiveness and partnering with Globecast achieves this. This has been proven across the years of our relationship. We are proud to bring a flavor of the Arabic world to the world.” (Source: press release)
20 February 2014
Khalid Ahmed Balkheyour, Chief Executive Officer, Arabsat, has been named Via Satellite’s Satellite Executive of the Year for 2013. In his role as CEO, Balkheyour has developed and directed the Middle East satellite operator which continues to gain ground as the regional industry leader.
The past 12 months resulted in another banner year for the company, the centrepiece of which was a deal to acquire Greek satellite operator Hellas-Sat, enabling the operator to become more of a presence in Europe. Crucially, Arabsat will now be able to offer Middle East broadcasters more of a gateway into Europe, and the deal takes the company outside of its Middle East home turf and creates a more multi-faceted regional operator. The acquisition accelerates top line growth of Arabsat by more than ten percent, and new satellites, Hellas-sat-3 and Hellas-sat-4, will boost top line growth still further. It is a deal that underlines Balkheyour’s ambition to grow one of the most powerful regional operators — globally.
What is most impressive about Balkheyour’s tenure is his creative deal-making, which has pioneered hosted payload deals in the region, including a contract with Emerging Market Communications (EMC) for a Ka-band hosted payload. In 2013, Arabsat signed a number of significant contracts, including agreements with Qatari satellite operator, Es’hailSat, which will see the Es’hailSat 2 satellite join Arabsat’s BADR fleet at 26 degrees East. Another major contract was signed with ‘My HD’ which plans to bring around 50 HD channels to households across the Middle East. Arabsat also signed an MoU agreement with the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information to build a new media platform in Saudi Arabia.
Arabsat’s numbers are also highly impressive, with the company set to achieve double-digit growth in both revenues and profits in 2013. It has the stated ambition of becoming the fifth ranked global FSS operator by 2020, which given its impressive growth in recent years seems well within reach.
The Arabsat story once again showcases the power of regional operators, and in this area, Arabsat has few peers. From strong financial performance, innovative deals, as well as a potential game-changing acquisition for the company, Arabsat continues to tick every box for a regional operator, and it is of little surprise that Arabsat CEO Khalid Balkheyour has once again been nominated to be the 2013 Satellite Executive of the Year.
“Khalid Balkheyour has built Arabsat into a regional powerhouse in the MENA region,” said Mark Holmes, Editorial Director, Aerospace. “Over the last few years, Balkheyour has been a perennial nominee for this award, and it is not hard to understand why. The company has shown fantastic revenue and profit growth, is a leader in terms of HD/DTH in the Middle East, and is fast becoming one of the top regional operators around. 2013 was another great year for the company with the acquisition of Hellas-Sat in Greece and a new partnership deal with fellow Middle East operator, Es’hailSat, as two of the highlights. Arabsat is just continually excellent in everything it does, and we are delighted that finally Khalid Balkheyour is our Satellite Executive of the Year for 2013. It is richly deserved.”
“We are extremely grateful for this wonderful award from Via Satellite, and for the recognition of our accomplishments,” said Khalid Balkheyour. “This recognition comes at a time of great success for the company, as we continue to position ourselves as a regional and global leader in this dynamic industry. Naturally, this success could not happen without the support of our loyal customers, dedicated employees and shareholders, and we would like to thank them for helping us to become the fastest growing satellite operator in the region.”
For more than 20 years, Via Satellite magazine has been honoring the satellite executives who made a lasting business impact on the global satellite market during the previous calendar year.
Via Satellite magazine will showcase Balkheyour in its “Satellite Executive of the Year” cover feature in the March issue. Balkheyour will be presented with his award at the Satellite Executive of the Year award luncheon on Wednesday, March 12, and a reception that will be held that evening. Both events take place during the SATELLITE 2014 Conference and Exhibition, which runs March 10-13 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center at 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW, Washington, DC. For more information or to register, visit www.SATELLITE2014.com. (Source: Arabsat press release)
10 February 2014
Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat) and Morgan for Information and Communications Technology (MICT) signed a contract where Arabsat will provide Morgan with satellite capacities on 5-C at the orbital position 20° East, with full coverage to the African continent, in addition to Arabsat usual coverage to the Middle East and large parts of Asia and Europe.
Eng. Khalid bin Ahmed Balkheyour, President & CEO of Arabsat expressed Arabsat’s full support and commitment to provide the best services for MICT.
MICT CEO Eng. Kazem Zain said, “The importance of this agreement is not only in its value and financial returns, but also in the glimmer of hope it gives despite the difficulties and challenges facing the region. It’s a message that we still care and hold a lot of hope and a little of the well-fare to all the communities of the African continent. That orientation of Morgan towards Africa with the help of Arabsat as an Arab organization that has its weight on the regional and global level and in accordance to Morgan’s vision to become the most reliable provider in Africa give this agreement a strategic level which comes within the Social Responsibility towards Africa. The implementation of this contract starts with building and operating two ground stations in Africa this year, to be expanded in the coming years to accommodate the growing needs of the African and the region.”
(Source: Arabsat press release)
20 November 2013
At an awards ceremony held on the first day of the SATCON 2013 Conference and Exhibition in New York City, the Second Annual Vision Awards announced Arabsat as winner of the “Most Promising Company of the Year” .
The Annual Vision Award was presented by Satellite Markets and Research, Application Technology Strategy LLC and SATCON .”Most Promising Company of the Year” is awarded to the company that has experienced growth in the markets they serve and demonstrated long-term viability of their enterprise.
Eng. Khalid Balkhyour President & CEO of Arabsat stated that ” We are very pleased with this international Award as it comes at the end of a very successful business year for Arabsat on both scales regionally and globally.”
15 November 2013
Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat) has announced today that within its strategic plans to support and develop TV broadcasting for its customers, a transition plan will be performed for load distribution between Badr-4, Badr-5 and Badr–6 Satellites, in order to accommodate the growing demand for TV broadcast services on Arabsat exclusive orbital position 26° degree East and to meet the increasing marketing and operational requirements to attract new customers.
The following table shows the new frequencies for some of these TV channels:
|
Channel
|
Dish
|
Frequency
|
Symbol Rate
|
Polarity
|
Code Rate /FEC
|
|
Russia Today-HD
|
BADR-5
|
10730 MHz
|
27500
|
H
|
3/4
|
|
Tunis 1
|
BADR-4
|
12072 MHz
|
27500
|
H
|
3/4
|
|
Tunis 2
|
BADR-4
|
12072 MHz
|
27500
|
H
|
3/4
|
|
Hannibal
|
BADR-4
|
12072 MHz
|
27500
|
H
|
3/4
|
|
Nessma TV
|
BADR-6
|
11785 MHz
|
27500
|
V
|
3/4
|
|
Nessma K.TV
|
BADR-6
|
11785 MHz
|
27500
|
V
|
3/4
|
|
Algeria A3
|
BADR-6
|
11747 MHz
|
27500
|
V
|
3/4
|
|
Cartoon Network Arabia
|
BADR-6
|
11747 MHz
|
27500
|
V
|
3/4
|
