Eutelsat has announced an expansion of its Professional Video Services to its flagship Hotbird neighbourhood at 13 degrees East.
The prime orbital slot covers Europe, the Middle East and North Africa with broadcasters including the BBC, Tivusat and TVN. Although largely associated with broadcast TV, Eutelsat previously leased capacity for ‘occasional use’ contracts before the growing popularity of direct-to-home satellite led Eutelsat to find other locations for news and sports feeds.
Eutelsat is now promoting the capabilities of the modern Hotbird satellites to offer extensive widebeam coverage, reliability, resilience and protection for contribution and distribution of premium sports content. It comes at a time when demand for DTH capacity is falling against the increasing popularity of DTH satellite.
Laurence Delpy, President of the Video Business Unit commented: “Satellite is a key part of the distribution strategy for major high-profile events which attract massive audiences. The Hotbird satellites have more than proved themselves in the world of Professional Video, delivering hundreds of hours of coverage from some of the world’s most popular Tier 1 premium sporting events. Professional video delivery is an important market for Eutelsat and by opening our flagship Hotbird neighbourhood for the transmission of live events, we are ensuring our clients have the best services and capacity for their long-term needs. Satellite plays a vital role in the media supply chain for professional video, especially major Live sporting events where prime quality is an absolute must.”
The high-power Hotbird satellites form one of the largest broadcasting systems in EMEA, reaching more than 160 million TV homes, over 90% cable and IPTV penetration, and an extended network of distributors equipped to receive Hotbird across the region.
