ITV

Tag: Echostar

  • DirecTV drops Dish acquisition deal

    DirecTV drops Dish acquisition deal

    MUMBAI: Pay TV is going through its travails. A second attempt to create one of the largest pay TV operators in the US  fizzled out on Thursday with DirecTV terminating its plan to acquire rival Dish Network. Bondholders rejected the debt swap proposal that Direct TV made as part of the buyout. 

    The deal construct required DirecTV to pay a nominal $1 for equity and Dish’s bondholders to swap $9.75 billion of existing debt into roughly $8 billion of new bonds, thus asking the latter to take a 20 per cent discount.

    The offer was sweetened by reducing the loss to Dish by around $70 million, which was also rejected. DirecTV then gave Dish the ultimatum to accept the deal by 22 November, following which they would walk out of the door. Which it did when Echostar (the owner of Dish) did not come to an agreement.

    DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said that the decision was taken to terminate the transaction “because the proposed exchange terms were necessary to protect DIRECTV’s balance sheet and our operational flexibility. We will advance our mission to aggregate, curate, and distribute content tailored to customers’ interests by pursuing innovative products and providing customers with additional choice, flexibility, and control. We are well positioned for the future with a strong balance sheet and support from our long-term partner TPG.”

    With this failed merger, the two will continue to battle with each for other for subscribers in an already shrinking pay TV market place. Both Dish and DirecTV have lost more than half their subscribers since 2013 when pay TV was at its peak. 
     

  • DirecTV to acquire EchoStar’s video distribution business in the US

    DirecTV to acquire EchoStar’s video distribution business in the US

    MUMBAI: This is clearly a sign of the times: the impact that streaming is having on consumption of video by viewers at home. American DTH operators DirecTV and EchoStar today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which the former will acquire the latter’s video distribution business Dish DBS, including DishTV and Sling TV through a debt exchange transaction. 

    A release issued by the companies stated that the acquisition will benefit US video consumers by creating a more robust competitive force in a video industry dominated by streaming services owned by large tech companies and programmers. The transaction will provide consumers with compelling video options while separately improving EchoStar’s financial profile as it continues to enhance and further deploy its nationwide 5G Open RAN wireless network.

    “DirecTV operates in a highly competitive video distribution industry,” said DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow. “With greater scale, we expect a combined DirectTV  and Dish will be better able to work with programmers to realize our vision for the future of TV, which is to aggregate, curate, and distribute content tailored to customers’ interests, and to be better positioned to realize operating efficiencies while creating value for customers through additional investment.”

    “This agreement is in the best interests of EchoStar’s customers, shareholders, bondholders, employees, and partners,” said EchoStar president & CEO Hamid Akhavan. “With an improved financial profile, we will be better positioned to continue enhancing and deploying our nationwide 5G Open RAN wireless network. This will provide US wireless consumers with more choices and help to drive innovation at a faster pace. We expect Dish and EchoStar bondholders to benefit from two companies with stronger financial profiles and more sustainable capital structures.”

    “DirecTV was founded 30 years ago to give consumers greater choices than incumbent cable companies for video content, and the its  acquisition of Dish TV and Sling TV positions it to again provide more choices and better value in an industry currently dominated by large streaming platforms,” said TPG partners David Trujillo and John Flynn. “Our ability to execute these transactions, alongside our proposed acquisition of AT&T’s 70 per cent stake in DirecTV announced earlier today, exemplifies the unique capabilities of the TPG platform and our experienced sector-focused investment approach as we support DirecTV’s continued investment in innovating the next generation of video services that benefit consumers.”

    Compelling Transaction Benefits
    A combination of DIRECTV and DISH will help the new company provide consumers with more choices and better value. The combined video company is expected to: 

    * Have increased scale to incentivise programmers to allow DirecTV to deliver smaller packages at lower price points.

     * Be better positioned to bring together multiple content sources in one easily accessible place.
     
    * Have an enhanced ability to make the investments required to improve its streaming services.
     
    * Improve the viability of the satellite platform by realizing efficiencies of some shared fixed infrastructure and operating expenses.
     
    * Continue to provide the broadest array of programming and diverse voices available on pay TV, including local news.
     

    The transaction will also benefit US wireless consumers by allowing EchoStar to focus on enhancing and further deploying its 5G Open RAN cloud-native wireless network. This transaction will: 

    * Alleviate a material portion of EchoStar’s financial constraints.
     
    * Free up operational and financial resources that EchoStar can dedicate to its mission of deploying a nationwide facilities-based wireless service to compete with dominant incumbent wireless carriers. 
     
    * Benefit consumers by enabling EchoStar (through its Boost Mobile brand) to strengthen its position as the fourth facilities-based carrier in the U.S.
     
    * Enable EchoStar to further leverage its satellite assets and experience, including developing innovative direct-to-device (D2D) solutions. 

    Highly Competitive Industry

    The video distribution industry has undergone a massive transformation and is highly competitive, now dominated by streaming services owned by large tech companies and programmers. 

    * Streaming services owned by large tech companies and programmers now have subscription numbers that far exceed those of pay TV distributors.
     
    * Content that was historically the mainstay of traditional pay TV – news, sports, and entertainment – is now available exclusively or first-run on direct-to-consumer streaming services.
     
    * The vast majority of consumers who leave satellite video are “cutting the cord” for streaming services – wherever they live.  

    * Combined, DirecTV and Dish have collectively lost 63 per cent of their satellite customers since 2016.
     
    * Traditional pay TV penetration in US households is now less than 50 per cent

    Improve Both Companies’ Financial Profiles

    The transaction is expected to strengthen the financial profiles of DirecTV and EchoStar, creating opportunities for additional investment.

    * Upon transaction close, DirecTV expects to have a leverage position just over 2.0x, and plans to reduce to under 2.0x within 12 months, consistent with its stated 1.5x – 2.0x financial policy on a pro forma basis. As a result, DirecTV will have one of the best leverage profiles in the pay TV industry.  
     
    * DirecTV estimates that the combination of DirecTV and Dish has the potential to generate cost synergies of at least $1 billion per annum. These synergies are expected to be achieved by the third anniversary of closing, assuming the closing is in late 2025.
     
    * The transaction will provide EchoStar with greater financial flexibility by improving its access to capital and reducing overall refinancing needs. 

    * At close, EchoStar will have reduced its total consolidated debt (excluding financing leases and other notes payable) by approximately $11.7 billion and reduced its consolidated refinancing needs through 2026 by approximately $6.7 billion (excluding financing leases and other notes payable).
     
    * The transaction, in conjunction with the exchange offer announced today (the exchange offer), will also result in the termination of all intercompany obligations between Dish Network and Dish DBS and creates the ability for EchoStar to fully unencumber the 3.45-3.55 GHz spectrum, unlocking incremental strategic and operating flexibility.

    Transaction Details 

    Under the terms of the purchase agreement, DirecTV will acquire EchoStar’s video distribution business, including DishTV and Sling TV, in exchange for a nominal consideration of $1 plus the assumption of Dish DBS’ net debt. Dish Network will also benefit from the releases of a substantial amount of intercompany receivables, including spectrum, but will have contractually limited access to the cash flow generated by its business between signing and closing. Dish DBS and DirecTV have commenced the exchange offer for five different series of Dish DBS notes with a total face value of approximately $9.75 billion, including seeking certain consents from the holders of such notes to facilitate the acquisition. 

    The indentures governing the new DishH DBS notes will provide for an amendment without the consent of holders of the new Dish DBS notes to allow for the mandatory exchange of such notes following receipt of certain regulatory approvals and provided the acquisition has been or will be consummated before the outside date described in the purchase agreement, into a reduced principal amount of DirecTV debt which will have terms and collateral that mirror its existing secured debt. Such mandatory exchange is conditioned, amongst other things, on an aggregate reduction in the principal amount of Dish DBS’ notes in such exchange of at least $1.568 billion. If noteholders do not accept the exchange offer on terms satisfactory to DirecTV, including to the extent the above mentioned minimum principal reduction is not achieved, it has the right to terminate the acquisition without closing.

    The transaction is subject to various closing conditions, including, but not limited to, a requisite amount of the outstanding Dish DBS notes being tendered into the exchange offer, completion of a pre-closing reorganization, and receipt of required regulatory approvals.

    In addition, TPG Angelo Gordon and certain of its co-Investors, as well as DirecTV, provided $2.5 billion of financing to fully refinance Dish DBS’ November 2024 debt maturity. The proceeds of the funding will be distributed to Dish DBS via a secured intercompany loan to fully repay Dish DBS’ November 2024 debt maturity and for general corporate purposes. The financing can be exchanged or refinanced into DirecTV debt at the closing of the acquisition.

    “We built our business to provide bespoke financing solutions. We are pleased to partner with DirecTV and Dish DBS on a transaction that is value-enhancing for all stakeholders,” said TPG Angelo Gordon partner Ryan Mollett and managing director Michael Ginnings.

    Upon closing of this transaction, DirecTV will be led by a proven management team that reflects the strengths and capabilities of both organizations. DirecTV will continue to be led by CEO Bill Morrow, and CFO Ray Carpenter. The combined company will be headquartered in El Segundo, California.

    TPG Inc. to Acquire AT&T’s 70 per cent Stake in DirecTV

    TPG  and AT&T  today announced a definitive agreement under which TPG will acquire from AT&T the remaining 70 per cent stake in DirecTV that it does not already own. TPG will invest in DirecTV through TPG Capital, the firm’s US and European private equity platform. The transaction between TPG and AT&T is expected to close in the second half of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions. Completion of this transaction is not contingent on DirecTV’s  acquisition of Dish.

  • DISH buys EchoStar’s DBS & OTT assets; gives control over Sling TV customer experience

    DISH buys EchoStar’s DBS & OTT assets; gives control over Sling TV customer experience

    MUMBAI: DISH Network Corporation and EchoStar Corporation today announced they have executed an agreement that will transfer certain EchoStar assets and operations, including its EchoStar Technologies hardware and software development group, its national and regional uplink business, its managed fiber backhaul network serving all U.S. DMAs and its OTT development group to DISH in exchange for DISH’s 80 per cent economic interest in Hughes Retail Group held in the form of a tracking stock.

    This transaction also transfers to DISH the 10 per cent stake in Sling TV held by EchoStar, wireless spectrum licenses covering four markets in the 28 GHz band and certain real estate properties.

    DISH will continue to market satellite broadband under the brand dishNET to rural customers.

    “With this transaction we will vertically integrate all the elements that define our customer experience – one team will deliver the full DISH and Sling TV experience end to end,” said DISH president Erik Carlson. “Not only do we gain full control of product development roadmap for DBS and Sling TV but we also anticipate achieving operational efficiencies.”

    The transaction is structured in a manner to be a tax-free exchange and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017, subject to satisfaction or waiver of closing conditions.

  • DISH buys EchoStar’s DBS & OTT assets; gives control over Sling TV customer experience

    DISH buys EchoStar’s DBS & OTT assets; gives control over Sling TV customer experience

    MUMBAI: DISH Network Corporation and EchoStar Corporation today announced they have executed an agreement that will transfer certain EchoStar assets and operations, including its EchoStar Technologies hardware and software development group, its national and regional uplink business, its managed fiber backhaul network serving all U.S. DMAs and its OTT development group to DISH in exchange for DISH’s 80 per cent economic interest in Hughes Retail Group held in the form of a tracking stock.

    This transaction also transfers to DISH the 10 per cent stake in Sling TV held by EchoStar, wireless spectrum licenses covering four markets in the 28 GHz band and certain real estate properties.

    DISH will continue to market satellite broadband under the brand dishNET to rural customers.

    “With this transaction we will vertically integrate all the elements that define our customer experience – one team will deliver the full DISH and Sling TV experience end to end,” said DISH president Erik Carlson. “Not only do we gain full control of product development roadmap for DBS and Sling TV but we also anticipate achieving operational efficiencies.”

    The transaction is structured in a manner to be a tax-free exchange and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017, subject to satisfaction or waiver of closing conditions.

  • EchoStar Acquires European Mobile Satellite Services Provider

    EchoStar Acquires European Mobile Satellite Services Provider

    COLORADO: (NASDAQ: SATS) announced today that it has acquired 100% ownership of Solaris Mobile Ltd., a next-generation mobile satellite services (MSS) operator based in Dublin, Ireland and one of the European Union licensees of mobile satellite service with a complementary ground component (S band).

     

    Solaris Mobile Ltd. is deploying a satellite and terrestrial network for wholesale access to enhanced mobile communications across Europe in the 30 MHz S band licensed to Solaris Mobile. In connection with the acquisition, EchoStar has entered into an agreement with Solaris Mobile to provide it with MSS capacity on a new next-generation MSS satellite.

     

    “Through this acquisition and our mobile satellite infrastructure expertise, we look forward to accelerating advanced mobile services throughout the European Union,” said Anders Johnson, president, EchoStar Satellite Services. “We are excited to build upon the groundwork laid by Solaris Mobile by most immediately bringing with us access to a next generation MSS satellite which will support a wide range of innovative services across the European Union.”

  • ‘Our focus in 2009 will be to maintain profitability and not get into adventurous ventures’ : Bharat Ranga – Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. COO international operations

    ‘Our focus in 2009 will be to maintain profitability and not get into adventurous ventures’ : Bharat Ranga – Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. COO international operations

     

    A sliding global economy has turned up the heat on the international businesses of the Hindi content broadcasters.

     

    In 2008, Zee group stretched its wings in Russia while deepening its presence through the launch of Veria (the natural wellness channel is part of the Essel Group initiative) and Aflam (a Hindi movie channel with subtitles in Arabic) in the US and the Middle East respectively. Riding on a bull market, the group also launched a radio business in the UK.

     

    The 2009 landscape will be far different, more punitive, and starkly grim. Delinquent ventures will be avoided and risky bets put on hold.

     

    Zee Sports, thus, will not travel to other countries as the RoI (return on investments) just does not work out. In the US, it was launched as Zee Sports America because a partnership was hatched with EchoStar.

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) will make efforts to guard turf in its two main markets – UK and the US – which make up 70 per cent of its total international revenues.

     

    With around one-fourth of its revenues coming from its international business, Zeel’s drive will be to maximise revenue opportunities from each market.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Sibabrata Das, Zeel COO international operations Bharat Ranga talks about the need to value content appropriately, keep away from reckless expansion, and be tough on costs.

     

    Excerpts:

    Zee took several initatives to expand its global presence in 2008 like tapping the Russian market and launching channels in the Middle East and the US. Will the global downturn force a more conservative strategy in 2009?
    Our focus in 2009 will be to maintain our profitability and not get into adventurous ventures. In these uncertain times, it is important to maintain stability. It is better to hold on to your growth plans than to expand recklessly in this market. We will have to be tough on our costs without compromising the value of our product.

    Will there be a drive to take Zee Sports to other markets after launching the sports channel in the US?
    We launched Zee Sports in the US in partnership with EchoStar. We work along with EchoStar on that brand. For launching in other markets, we feel that the RoI (return on investments) is not there at this stage.

    Will there be more subscriber churn and slowdown in Zee’s two main international markets, UK and the US?
    The global economic turmoil is bound to have an impact on these two markets, which make up around 70 per cent of Zee’s total international revenues. But growth in the US will be faster than in UK.
    ‘Zee treats its international biz as a SBU. The irony is that the South Asian players have not valued their content appropriately. Hence, the revenue potential remains untapped‘

    Why?
    UK is a tougher market because not all South Asian content is pay. This is not the case in the US. We, however, are pay in the UK and have five channels in that market – Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Alpha ETC Punjabi, Zee Gujarati and Zee Muzic. We have a subscriber base of 200,000, but it is growing slower. The yield, however, is higher and we are priced at 13 pounds a month for two channels. For each additional channel, we charge 5 pounds a month.

    Have you priced yourself lower in the US?
    No. But unlike UK, we are not retailing ourselves. We are part of EchoStar and other cable companies like Comcast and Time Warner. We enjoy a revenue share with them.

     

    One of our group initiatives to expand in that market was the launch of Veria, a natural wellness channel, last year. It is a very premium and growing segment and we are bullish about the channel’s growth. We do not have Zee Muzic in that market. Our subscriber base in Americas is close to a million.

    How far has Zee progressed in cracking the Chinese wall?
    We have applied for landing rights and are waiting for approval for over a year. We hope to get the permission soon. China is a very complicated market to crack and it is important to have a very clear business model in place. Many international media companies have invested billions of dollars in that market, but not gained much. We have taken a cautious approach and, meanwhile, have started a syndication buiness there. Foreign content syndication itself is tough as there are more rules stating why not to buy such content than why there is need for it. For us at Zee, China remains a romantic thought at this stage.

    Even Russia is considered to be a very difficult market, as Disney found out recently when it did not get the nod for taking a 49 per cent stake in a joint venture with local firm Media-One Holdings. What has been your experience so far?
    Russia is a cheap pay TV and advertising market. We launched Zee Russia last year, but the channel hasn’t taken off the way we expected. It is a pay channel with Indian content dubbed in Russian. We are at a nascent stage but, like China, it is an initiative for the future.
    ‘We launched Zee Sports in the US in partnership with EchoStar. For launching in other markets, we feel that the RoI is not there at this stage‘

    Zee had to rework on its strategy in the Middle East and shut down Zee Arabia. Why?
    We saw an opportunity for offering our content to local audiences in the Middle East. We tasted the water with Zee Arabia launch and learnt the nuances of the mainstream market. We replaced it with Zee Aflam, a free-to-air Hindi movie channel with Arabic subtitles, last year. Our Hindi offerings – Zee TV, Zee Cinema, and a hybrid channel of Zee News and Zee Gujarati – are, however, pay in that market.

    Since Zee Gujarati is wrapping up after 30 April, will that offering end in the international market as well?
    We have not decided if we will do away with that offering for our international audiences. We have standalone Gujarati audiences. We may have a repurposed channel by sewing up content from others. That business decision is yet to be taken.

    The rates of the Zee channels have stayed flat in UK at least. Has Zee lost pricing power in the international markets?
    There is room for hiking subscription and advertising rates, but it is not easy in this market condition. Besides, competitors have to work together for growing the size of the market.

    Which means that the revenue potential is still untapped?
    There are 35 million Indians residing outside India. There are also South Asians who consume Indian entertainment content. This throws up a nice business proposition. Zee is the dominant international player, with over 50 per cent market share. We reach out to 167 countries, have 200 people spread across 16 offices, and treat it as a strategic business unit (SBU). The irony of the international business is that the South Asian players have not valued their content appropriately. Hence, the revenue potential remains untapped.

    What is it that Zee has done right in the global arena?
    We learnt from our Indian market experiences and priced ourselves appropriately in the developed markets.
  • Echostar buys a stake in South Korea’s TU Media

    Echostar buys a stake in South Korea’s TU Media

    MUMBAI: US satellite service provider Echostar has become the second-largest shareholder in South Korea’s TU Media.

    It operates a satellite digital mobile broadcasting (S-DMB) service.

    TU Media has raised $74.7 million.

    The company said that its largest shareholder, SK Telecom, and Echostar purchased 9.95 million new shares of TU Media to raise the company’s capital to 288.2 billion won.

    TU Media said that the partnership with Echostar would help accelerate its efforts to make inroads in overseas markets.

    In 2005, TU Media started the S-DMB service. This allows users to watch TV on a mobile device.

    The company cliams to have attracted more than 1 million subscribers for the fee-based mobile broadcasting service since its launch. It aims to raise the number to two million this year.

  • Space Systems/Loral wins contract to build satellites for Echostar & Intelsat

    Space Systems/Loral wins contract to build satellites for Echostar & Intelsat

    MUMBAI: Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), a subsidiary of Loral Space and Communications and provider of high-power commercial satellites, has announced that it has been awarded a contract to manufacture a new direct broadcast satellite (DBS) for EchoStar Orbital Corporation II, a subsidiary of EchoStar Communications Corporation. EchoStar XIV will provide expanded services and flexibility for Dish Network’s more than 13 million direct-to-home (DTH) television subscribers.

    “Our long-term relationship with EchoStar is an endorsement of the performance, reliability and service that our company provides,” said Space Systems/Loral president John Celli. “With an ever-increasing amount of programming options, it is an exciting time for the DTH industry and Space Systems/Loral is well positioned to help EchoStar meet its growing demand for advanced services.”

    There are currently three SS/L-built satellites on orbit in the EchoStar fleet.

    “As the fastest-growing pay-TV provider in the nation and an innovator in advanced services such as HDTV, we need the power and capacity that a satellite from Space Systems/Loral can provide,” said EchoStar vice president of Space Programs Rohan Zaveri.

    In addition, the company has also recently announced that Intelsat Corporation has awarded SS/L a contract to manufacture Intelsat 14, a new, high-power C- and Ku-band fixed satellite service (FSS) satellite.

    “This contract underscores our long-standing relationship with Intelsat,” said Celli. “This new project provides SS/L the opportunity to demonstrate our success in combining heritage, space-proven satellite technology with new innovation. We are pleased to be awarded the contract for this important new member of Intelsat’s global fleet.”

    Intelsat 14, to be located at 45 degrees West longitude, will be the 44th Space Systems/Loral satellite built over the past four decades for Intelsat, the world’s largest fixed satellite services operator. The satellite will carry 40 C-band and 22 Ku-band transponders across four different beams, covering the Americas, Europe and Africa, informs an official release.

    Intelsat 14 will have a design life of 15 years and will replace the PAS-1R satellite when the new satellite is delivered in 2009. Intelsat 14 is the first satellite awarded to SS/L in 2007. The company received seven satellite awards in 2006 from a wide variety of customers, including FSS operators, direct-to-home and satellite radio service providers.

  • India not on EchoStar radar ‘in the near term’

    India not on EchoStar radar ‘in the near term’

    HONG KONG: Regulatory blips and other on-ground problems notwithstanding, India is too big a market to be ignored for long by investors, says Scott Zimmer, senior advisor to EchoStar chairman Charlie Ergen.

    “Both India and Vietnam are big markets… (however) it also means bigger opportunities, bigger challenges and bigger hurdles,” Zimmer says.

    Headquartered in Colorado in the US, EchoStar Communications Corporation is a public company with approximately 21,000 employees. The company and its subsidiaries deliver direct broadcast satellite (DBS) television products and services to customers worldwide, apart from recent interests in mobile television.

    “We are always looking for opportunities in various parts of the world and India is no exception,” Zimmer told Indiantelevision.com here today on the sidelines of the annual convention of Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa).

    However, he added that there are no immediate plans from EchoStar to invest in India, though Zimmer spent a few days recently in Mumbai to have first-hand information on Asia’s largest market after China.

    In the short to medium term I don’t see ourselves making any commitment in India. But it’s too big a market to be ignored for too long by anybody,” Zimmer said.

    According to him, whenever EchoStar gets into India it would be with a local partner and it’s “important to find the right partner.”

    “India does have some DBS services (read DTH platforms) and I expect some more players to come,” Zimmer said, adding that the Zee group should have its work cut out to take on a “gorilla” like Tata Sky.

    While Tata Sky, India’s second pay DTH platform, is a joint venture between the Tatas and News Corp, the Subhash Chandra-controlled Dish TV is chugging along without a foreign partner.

    Indian media norms allow foreign direct investment of up to 20 per cent in a DTH venture and it is a subject of much debate within the industry whether this percentage should be increased or not.

    Zimmer, however, refused to make any comment when asked whether he had held exploratory talks with the Essel/Zee group during his last visit to Mumbai.

    “It would be improper on my part to make any sort of comment … (but) both the Zee Group and EchoStar share same sort of heritage in the sense that both grew from scratch,” Zimmer said.

    Still, the man advising the legendary Ergen points out that while EchoStar’s competitor’s during the early stages were also growing in the US, the Zee group in contrast has a “gorilla like the Tatas” competing with it.

    Zimmer also feels that what could be shying away some foreign investors from India is the presence of “strong and dominant” Indian companies like the Tatas and Reliance.

    As per EchoStar’s website, the company story began in 1980 when chairman and CEO Charlie Ergen entered the satellite television industry as a distributor of C-band TV systems. Joined by his wife, Candy, and friend, James DeFranco, 
    EchoStar Communications Corporation was formed.

    In 1987, EchoStar filed for a DBS license with the Federal Communications Commission and was granted access to orbital slot 119° West Longitude in 1992. The company started its own DBS service on 28 December, 1995 with the launch of EchoStar I satellite.

    That same year, EchoStar established the Dish Network brand name. EchoStar II, launched on September 10, 1996, and expanded Dish Network’s capacity. Presently, the 14 owned or leased satellites that make up the EchoStar fleet have the capacity to provide thousands of channels of digital video, audio and data services via Dish Network service to homes, businesses and schools throughout the United States.

  • Sahara One to spread global footprint; Filmy’s US launch on 28 August

    Sahara One to spread global footprint; Filmy’s US launch on 28 August

    MUMBAI: Sahara One Media and Entertainment Ltd. has charted out plans to spread overseas the footprint of its two entertainment channels.

    The first target is the US where Sahara One, the general entertainment channel, is already available on EchoStar. Hindi movie channel Filmy will be launched on the DirecTV platform later this month. While EchStar offers a range of Indian channels including Sony, Max, Zee TV and Zee Cinema, the News Corp-controlled DirecTV has the Star, ETV and Aastha channels on its platform.

    “Our focus this year will be on the international distribution of these two channels. We will be launching Filmy in the US on 28 August and progressively extending our channels to new territories,” says Sahara One Media and Entertainment CEO Shantonu Aditya.

    Australia and New Zealand will be the next destination and plans are on to launch both the channels on 1 September. Following up on the launch of Sahara One in the Middle East, Filmy will be taken to the region in a month’s time. The two channels will also soon start beaming in Nepal and Maldives, adds Aditya.

    By having a global presence, Sahara hopes to hook on audiences from the South Asian community and rake in subscription revenues. “Our target is to make Sahara One and Filmy also available in the UK and South Africa by the end of this year,” says Aditya.

    Indian channels are increasingly eyeing the global market, particularly to boost their subscription revenues. Zee Telefilms Ltd, for instance, garners one-fourth of its total revenues from international operations.