Live sports and news events in the last 12 months have driven uptake on SES’s dedicated sports and events satellite distribution platform Astra 1 Sports.
Covering Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, it was used for more than 1,500 events delivered to hundreds of feed takers, with sports and events customers enjoying its powerful wide beam coverage with high throughput, boosted network efficiency, flexibility and security.
One customer using the platform is Telefónica Broadcast Services. Laura Arnaiz, its head of booking department, said: “As the viewership and interest in sports and events continues to grow globally, we are delighted to have a partner like SES, capable to deliver our most important events like the World Padel Tour, Valencia Marathon and beyond, with their satellite distribution platform. This way, we know that our premium content not only reliably reaches our fans across EMEA in the highest quality possible, but we are also able to grow and attract new audiences”.
Michele Gosetti, head of sales, sports & events at SES, added: “Live sports and events continue to be the most valuable assets for broadcasters and the leagues and rights holders they partner with in terms of building and engaging global audiences.
“The momentum with our satellite distribution platform in its first year underscores the increasing demand for reliable content delivery in the industry, and we anticipate for it to grow even more. With the combination of our satellite, fibre and IP infrastructure, we are able to bring a hybrid differentiated offering in the market as the premier distribution partner and ensure our sports and events customers are able to do what they do best – bring exciting sports to fans across the globe”.
SES broadcasts over 700 hours of premium sports each day and works with more than 500 sports and events customers. SES broadcasts a wide range of sports, from men’s and women’s professional football, American football, tennis, golf and cricket to cycling.
These include on-going games and matches for high-profile leagues such as the NFL, Premier League and Women’s Serie A to sports with specialised interest, such as motor sports.
