Tag: Ferdinand KayseR

SES Redefines Live Events with Synchronised Satellite and OTT

Luxembourg: SES's latest solution, which will be showcased at IBC2019 in Amsterdam, synchronises over-the-top (OTT) and satellite broadcasts by delivering IP signals to OTT platforms as fast as satellite to create enhanced live viewing experiences, SES announced today. The new solution, named Satellite and OTT in Sync, gives broadcasters the power to deliver a more consistent experience to viewers watching any screen, or even multiple screens, by eliminating the delay between their TV broadcast and OTT services.

Even a few seconds of delay between different screens can spoil the live event experience, and this has been a challenge to eliminate. SES's unique solution achieves that synchronisation, giving broadcasters confidence that their viewers will be able to enjoy unforgettable moments.

SES's Satellite and OTT in sync solution takes the source signal on its way to the satellite and distributes it via IP in tandem with satellite. By applying low-latency encoding and tuning to the IP stream at the source, the solution can deliver the content to OTT platforms in sync with the satellite signal. The technique shaves off the seconds of delay between a traditional television broadcast and other low-latency OTT solutions or regular OTT broadcasts.

"Today's broadcasters are looking to protect and grow their business by delivering the best experience possible during live events, particularly for premium sports. When a fan is watching an important match on an OTT platform and they hear the crowd at the bar down the street cheering before they even see the goal, the disappointment is palpable," said Ferdinand Kayser, CEO of SES Video. "Being a hybrid video distributor, SES can process video at the source for both satellite and OTT distribution, helping broadcasters deliver a unique, consistent, and satisfying end-user experience."

SES leads the industry with its worldwide reach of over 355 million TV households (or 1 billion people) and distributes over 8,200 channels via satellite. SES's recent unification of its wholly-owned video services subsidiary, MX1, with its SES Video business unit, means SES now manages over 525 channels and delivers more than 8,400 hours of online video streaming, including over 620 hours of premium sports and live events per day. Going to market with a unified solution for video infrastructure and services means that SES will accelerate the rollout of hybrid linear and non-linear content delivery services and solutions with unprecedented global reach.

September 9, 2019
SES renews contract with Sony Entertainment Television Asia

MUMBAI: SES – a world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of 54 geostationary satellites – today announced a renewal of its contract with Sony Entertainment Television (SET) Asia.

The new agreement will enable SET Asia to reach out to its subscribers in the UK and Ireland at SES’ prime orbital arc of 28.2/28.5 degrees East, as well as distribute its platform to affiliates across Europe.

The satellite operator serves almost 13 million satellite households across the UK and Ireland from its constellation of four satellites positioned at the orbital arc of 28.2/28.5. The company is in the process of a full fleet renewal at the prime orbital location: ASTRA 2F was launched September 2012 while ASTRA 2E was recently launched successfully on 30 September 2013. ASTRA 2G will be launched in Q1 2014.

SES chief commercial officer Ferdinand Kayser says: “We are delighted that SET Asia has chosen SES to continue to deliver their premium service at the orbital arc of 28.2/28.5 degrees East. This long-term partnership shows SET Asia’s confidence in our ability to provide leading edge technologies that will ensure seamless delivery of their service to subscribers.”

“Our prime service, SET Asia, has been on ASTRA satellites since 1999,” says SET Asia executive VP Neeraj Arora. “We have found the reliability and coverage offered by SES to be exemplary and we are very pleased to have renewed our contract.”

October 23, 2013
SES enables Chinese startimes to expand tv reach in Africa

MUMBAI: SES (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) announced today that StarTimes Communication Network Technology, China’s most influential system integrator, technology provider and network operator, has signed a 10-year contract on SES-5 at 5 degrees East to expand its media footprint in Africa and deliver direct-to-home (DTH) broadcast services across the continent.

StarTimes, which is the fastest-growing digital TV operator Africa and has over 2.6 million digital terrestrial television (DTT) subscribers, also acquired SES’ 20% shareholding in South African pay-TV operator Top TV.

The contract will see StarTimes utilise four transponders as of October 2013 and a fifth transponder from February 2014 to grow their DTH subscribers in Africa. The Chinese broadcaster will continue to broadcast TopTV on SES-5 by using three of the newly-contracted SES transponders that were formerly leased by ODM. The other two out of the five SES transponders contracted by StarTimes will be used to complement their DTT offering in remote and non-urban areas and grow their pay-TV business.

“The recent success of StarTimes’s strategic investment in ODM will allow us to reach new audiences in South Africa. The partnership with SES enables StarTimes to have a DTH platform in addition to the existing DTT and mobile TV (CMMB) platforms in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the high-powered SES-5 at the prime orbital location of 5 degrees East is ideal in overcoming the challenges of terrestrial coverage to reach large audiences. This will allow us to extend our broadcast reach across the continent and ensure excellent service and picture quality for our viewers,” said StarTimes Group Chairman and President Pang Xinxing.

“We are honoured that StarTimes has chosen to work with us to complement their DTT business across Africa and to deliver more exciting content to Africa’s dynamic markets,” said Ferdinand Kayser, Chief Commercial Officer of SES. “The new partnership with StarTimes will illustrate how the combination of DTH and DTT is a key enabler in Africa’s migration to digital TV and also help set pace in the continent’s digital migration race.”

September 12, 2013
Lockheed Martin launches DTH satellite system Astra for Europe

MUMBAI: A European direct-to-home television satellite Astra -1KR launched into space yesterday atop an Atlas 5 rocket.

The satellite which has been built by Lockheed Martin is a high-power Ku-band satellite that features 32 transponders. It will provide distribution of DTH services across Europe. It will be located at 19.2° East, European satellite operator SES Astra’s prime orbital position for delivering broadcast services to Europe, and will also transmit HDTV channels. With its satellite fleet Astra claims to reach 107 million homes in Europe.

SES Astra is relying on the satellite to become a critical replacement in its space network, which provides more than 1,600 television and radio channels to 107 million households using a fleet of spacecraft.

The cost of the mission is estimated to be about $200 million. Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems president Ted Gavrilis says, “Our long-standing relationship with SES Astra spans a period of nearly 20 years beginning with the launch of SES Astra’s first satellite, Aatra 1A, in 1988.

“We are pleased once again to deliver to SES Astra, a state-of-the-art satellite using our flight-proven spacecraft architecture. I also commend our launch team and our SES Astra and ILS partners for their joint efforts and total dedication to Mission Success, which culminated in a textbook launch.”

SES Astra president and CEO Ferdinand Kayser says, “We are very proud and satisfied that the Astra 1KR mission has been a success. Astra 1KR will benefit our customers, further strengthen our unique inter-satellite back-up scheme and provide replacement capacity for our Astra 1B and Astra 1C satellites. The success of the Astra 1KR mission is a milestone in our company history and shows that we have strengthened the fruitful cooperation with our launch partners, Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems and International Launch Services.”

The satellite will use an onboard engine over the next week to circularise its transfer orbit. Once in geostationary orbit, the solar array and antenna appendages will be deployed and then a week spent testing onboard systems.

The handover of the satellite to SES Astra is expected early next month. This will allow controllers in Betzdorf, Luxembourg to perform an extensive checkout of the communications payload and positioning of the craft at its final orbital slot over the equator at 19.2 degrees East longitude.

The Lockheed Martin A2100 geosynchronous spacecraft series is designed to meet a wide variety of commercial and government telecommunications needs ranging from Ka-band/broadband services and fixed satellite services in C-band and Ku-band payload configurations, to high-power direct broadcast services using the Ku-band frequency spectrum and S-band mobile satellite services. The A2100’s modular design features a reduction in parts, simplified construction, increased on-orbit reliability and reduced weight and cost.

SES Astra’s satellite is expected to enter commercial service in June, expecting to last at least 15 years. It will replace the aging Astra 1B and Astra 1C spacecraft which had been launched in 1991 and 1993 respectively.

The Astra Satellite System is a DTH satellite system in Europe, delivering services to some 107 million Direct-to-Home and cable households. The Astra satellite fleet currently comprises 13 satellites, transmitting in excess of 1600 analogue and digital television and radio channels as well as multimedia and Internet services.

Astra’s two prime orbital positions for DTH services are 19.2° East and 28.2° East. Professional services such as Direct-to cable (DTC), Satellite Newsgathering (SNG) and Occasional Use are offered from the orbital position of 23.5° East.

April 21, 2006