Focus: Broadcasting

  Increased competition from Over-the-Top (OTT) Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) providers such as Netflix and Amazon Prime is posing significant challenges for satellite operators. Moreover, the vast amount of choice that consumers have in terms of pay-TV offerings puts pressure on operators to lower the price of their service. Despite these issues, the satellite...

Following major space and ground infrastructure investments and the expansion of its Latin America video neighborhood, SES announced the launch of its Ultra High Definition (Ultra-HD) platform into the region to accelerate commercial 4K rollouts among cable, IPTV, and Direct-to-Home (DTH) providers across Latin America. A number of of Latin American pay TV providers are...

Unique Broadcasting Service S.A. (UNBROSSA) has signed a multiyear, multi-transponder agreement with Eutelsat for capacity on the Eutelsat 117 West B satellite to launch its new low-cost Direct-to-Home (DTH) platform for the Caribbean, called Play. With an offer of more than 125 channels, including 25 High Definition (HD) channels, Play is scheduled to launch in...

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...

The Croatian national broadcasting group Hrvatska Radiotelevizija (HRT) has signed a multi-year agreement with Eutelsat for capacity on Hotbird, the operator’s video neighborhood for Europe and the Middle East, in order to broadcast its latest entertainment and news channel HRT-HTV 5 to an international base. The Free-to-Air (FTA) channel HRT-HTV 5 offers 24-hour news, educational...

LiveU has introduced a new platform, LiveU Matrix, that enables broadcasters to more quickly view, manage and distribute their live content. According to LiveU, users can search, filter, preview and distribute live feeds to one station, multiple stations or thousands of end points within their affiliate network. The interface can also be customized based on...

Satellite TV provider Kiwisat is launching a new Direct-to-Home (DTH) offering in the Caribbean to deliver TV entertainment to consumers on the islands using the SES 10 satellite. Under the long-term agreement announced by SES, Kiwisat is leasing capacity on SES 10 to deliver about 130 channels, including 90 High Definition (HD) channels. The DTH...

LiveU has unveiled its newly enhanced LU600 High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) portable transmission product suite. According to the company, it has already deployed thousands of its LU600 HEVC units worldwide, and its product suite now includes 4K Serial Digital Interface (SDI) offerings and built-in global roaming capabilities. LiveU is rolling out its professional HEVC 4K-SDI card as...

Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) has selected SSL to build its next Direct-to-Home (DTH) TV satellite, which the operator will use distribute Ultra-High Definition (Ultra-HD) video for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. SSL provided BSAT 4a to B-SAT in November 2017; BSAT 4b will be a similar Ku-band broadcasting satellite. BSAT 4b will be co-located with BSAT...

LiveU has combined its High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) bonding technology with satellite service to create a hybrid live solution. According to LiveU, its LU600 service will automatically choose between cellular bonding and satellite to ensure a reliable, high-quality feed. LU600 customers can now not only broadcast double the number of hours with the same...