Focus: Broadcasting

Gerry O’Sullivan, Eutelsat’s executive vice president of Global TV and Video is leaving the company, according to an internal memo shared with Via Satellite. O’Sullivan, who has held the role since November 2017, plans to pursue opportunities closer to his home in the United Kingdom.  O’Sullivan led the launch of new initiatives in Eutelsat’s Video...

SES revealed Wednesday that it extended its distribution partnership with Germany’s Televisionsklub for a five-year term. Additionally, Televisionsklub will upgrade to a full transponder on SES’ ASTRA 4A satellite to serve its customers across Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on Namibia and South Africa. The original five-year term contract was signed in 2015, but this...

USSI Global revealed Wednesday that the company will modernize Sinclair Broadcast Group’s satellite network to comply with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) C-Band spectrum transition. USSI Global will upgrade Sinclair’s satellite infrastructure over three years. The work is expected to be completed ahead of the FCC’s December 2023 Phase II accelerated relocation deadline. Additionally, USSI...

Telecom Italia (TIM) purchased all of the capacity dedicated to Italy on Eutelsat’s KONNECT satellite in order to provide fixed broadband services to Italian households starting in January 2021. Additionally, TIM purchased the vast majority of the capacity covering Italy on the follow-on satellite, KONNECT VHTS, once it enters service. This contract is expected to...

Viasat‘s new CEO Rick Baldridge joined executives from major satellite operators SES, Intelsat, Hughes Networks Systems, and Eutelsat on a virtual executive panel just days after he was named the new CEO replacing Mark Dankberg. The discussion at World Satellite Business Week Virtual Edition hosted by Euroconsult, centered on numerous topics, but mobility was one...

Eutelsat Communications has launched Sat.tv, its enhanced electronic program guide for Free-to-Air (FTA) channels. The service is operating at the 7/8 degrees West position, serving over 56 million homes across the Middle East and North Africa, and is being deployed at other Eutelsat video neighborhoods. Sat.tv helps enable broadcasters to maximize their reach and increase...

Canal+ signed new, long-term satellite capacity agreements with SES, the companies revealed Thursday. These agreements span three orbital positions, serve more than 10 million subscribers, and add more than $268 million (230 million euros) in secured backlog. The contract renewal extends until the end of the decade. Canal+ will broadcast in Ultra High-, High-, and Standard...

Kabelio AG chose Eutelsat Communication‘s Hotbird video neighborhood for the launch of a new Swiss Direct-to-Home (DTH) High Definition (HD) platform. This multi-year contract will allow Kabelio to launch a service targeting Swiss audiences both at home and throughout Europe. In September, Sky Italia renewed its capacity contract at Eutelsat’s Hotbird position, representing a secured...

Last week, the movers and shakers within the Russian space industry gathered virtually at SatComRus to talk about the future for satellite in Russia, and what the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will have on this landscape. Oleg Dukhovnitskiy, Head of the Federal Communications Agency (FCA) in Russia said that satellite communications plays a big...

USSI Global last Thursday revealed that Anthony Morelli was named Chief Operating Officer (COO). Morelli will report to CEO and President David S. Christiano, and oversee daily USSI Global business operations. Additionally, he will drive global growth strategy for the Broadcast and Network Solutions, Digital Signage Solutions, and Electronic Business and Consumer Solutions divisions. Morelli...