Intelsat’s teleport in Fuchsstadt, Germany. Photo: Intelsat.

Intelsat announced that it has launched a new Ku-band Multi-Channel Per Carrier (MCPC) media platform for Central and Eastern Europe.  As part of the IntelsatOne terrestrial network, the platform will enable regional and international programmers to expand their reach to cable headends, Direct-to-Home (DTH) and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) distribution.

Encompass Digital Media will provide multiplexing services for the platform from its facility in London, and Intelsat will provide further ground and uplink facilities from its Fuchsstadt, Germany teleport. Programmers will be able to contribute Standard Definition (SD) or High Definition (HD) content from anywhere around the world via Intelsat’s satellite fleet, the IntelsatOne network or through Encompass’ network. The platform is set to support MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 compression technology, and Intelsat’s wide satellite beams, optimized for DTH, can be received with 60cm antennas in much of its coverage area.

According to Intelsat, the new MCPC platform will provide programmers with immediate access to 1 degrees west, one of Europe’s premier video neighborhoods, located on the Intelsat 10-02 satellite. With four DTH platforms and more than 425 channels reaching approximately 18 million households across Europe, programmers will have access to a solution for cable/IPTV and affiliate distribution, the ability to leverage the platform’s existing channel content, and an opportunity to launch new channels and test new markets.