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Cable Technology Feature Article

July 12, 2010

Netherlands Based Broadcaster Inks Capacity Agreement with SES ASTRA

By Jai C.S., TMCnet Contributor


Satellite communications company SES (News - Alert) ASTRA, an SES company has signed an agreement with Dance TV HD, a Netherlands based broadcaster, for the delivery of programmes throughout Europe.
Financial terms of the agreement are yet to be disclosed.
"We are delighted that Dance TV HD has chosen ASTRA for the delivery of its signal and welcome this new customer on board. Dance TV HD provides a unique program format and is thereby a very attractive extension of our already large HDTV line-up. The agreement with Dance TV HD further strengthens our 23.5 degrees East orbital position as the fastest growing hot-spot for Direct-To-Home and Direct-to-Cable distribution throughout Europe," Norbert Hölzle, chief commercial officer of SES ASTRA, said.
The contract includes capacity on satellites based at the 23.5 degrees East orbital position and the delivery of uplink services from its ground station in Munich, Germany. It will thereby benefit from the enlarged footprint of SES ASTRA's newly launched satellite, ASTRA 3B, that offers coverage from Spain to the Black Sea.
Dance TV HD is a full HD lifestyle channel focused on the international dance scene. The programming includes international party reports, DJ concerts, festivals and events.
"We are very pleased to have signed this agreement with SES ASTRA which will allow us to grow and extend our programme to all markets in Europe. The high quality of service, the excellent coverage and the dedicated marketing support were crucial for our decision to sign with SES ASTRA. We look forward to a successful cooperation and to the launch of our program in many European markets," Jeffrey de Veer, CEO of Dance TV HD said.
Company official also clarified that Dance TV HD can be received via SES ASTRA's orbital position 23.5 degrees East, frequency: 12.032 GHz, symbol rate: 27500, FEC: 9/10.
SES ASTRA is a Direct-to-Home satellite system in Europe delivering services to more than 125 million DTH and cable households and transmits more than 2,600 analogue and digital television and radio channels. SES ASTRA also provides satellite-based multimedia, internet and telecommunication services to enterprises, governments and their agencies.

Jai C.S. is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Jai's articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Erin Monda