SES and Canal+ Group have confirmed the signature of a long-term, multi-year, multi-transponder framework agreement for SES capacity in both France and Africa.
In a statement, SES says the contract conditions are beneficial to both parties and reflect the volume, extended duration and payment terms.
The news of this long-term agreement follows a court case in Amsterdam, in which SES was seeking payments from Canal+ to the tune of €7.5 million. SES started the proceedings in order to recoup its outstanding transponder capacity bills.
The court delivered a verdict on November 1, ruling that SES should have started a substantive proceeding rather than a summary proceeding, and hence did not order payment by Canal+. However, the court ordered Canal+ to pay for the court proceedings.
Commenting on the agreement, Ferdinand Kayser, chief commercial officer of SES, said: “Canal+ Group is a long-standing partner for SES, and we are committed to support our customer’s strategy and business in established and emerging markets.
“We are pleased that this contract demonstrates Canal+’s long-term commitment to satellite and to SES.”
Sylvain Géron, chief technology officer, Canal+ Group, added: “Our long-term partnership with SES is an important element in our strategy to grow our reach, adapt to new technologies (HD and UHD), and maximise efficiencies.”
