MultiChoice to Expand its Leading Direct-to-Home (DTH) Services in Sub-Saharan Africa via New Intelsat Satellite
Luxembourg and Johannesburg, South Africa, 11 June 2014
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I), the world’s leading provider of satellite services, announced today that it has signed a 15-year service agreement with MultiChoice, Africa’s leading pay TV provider, on a new satellite to be added to the Intelsat network.
The new satellite, Intelsat 36, is expected to launch in late 2016 and will be co-located with Intelsat 20 at 68.5˚E, Intelsat’s premier direct-to-home (DTH) neighborhood in Africa. MultiChoice has been the anchor customer at the 68.5˚E location since 1995.
“MultiChoice’s success is built upon offering our subscribers the best content and customer experience. By growing our presence at Intelsat’s 68.5˚Eneighborhood, we continue to bring our customers new and innovative services,” said Tim Jacobs, Group CFO of MultiChoice. “Intelsat’s continued support will enable us to grow our business, providing viewers with high quality programming and compelling entertainment services.”
“Our agreement with MultiChoice is a clear demonstration of our mission to partner closely with the leading media and enterprise customers in each region, to understand their network requirements and then create the infrastructure that will support their growth goals,” said Intelsat’s SVP of Global Sales, Kurt Riegelman. “Since 1965, Intelsat has committed to and invested in Africa’s communications and broadcast infrastructure. This has resulted in robust satellite coverage and Intelsat’s position as the leading provider of satellite services in the region.”
The Intelsat 36 design will feature Ku- and C-band services. The MultiChoice DTH services will utilize the Ku-band payload. The C-band payload will provide services to other customers using the premier Intelsat 68.5˚E video neighborhood, which also distributes content to South Asian cable communities.
Concurrently with this news, Intelsat filed a report on Form 6-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission updating its 2014-2016 capital expenditure and customer prepayment guidance to reflect the net impact of the new satellite program.
Resources:
- Intelsat’s Media Services: http://www.intelsat.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/New_Media_brochure.pdf
· Intelsat’s Media Services: Direct-to Home: http://www.intelsat.com/applications/media/direct-to-home-dth/
· Intelsat’s Media Services: Digital Terrestrial Television: http://www.intelsat.com/applications/media/digital-terrestrial-television-dtt/
· Intelsat and 4K Transmission: http://www.intelsat.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/4K_ultra_high_definition_television_satellite_transmission.pdf
About Intelsat
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I) is the world’s leading provider of satellite services, delivering high performance connectivity solutions for media, fixed and mobile broadband infrastructure, enterprise and government and military applications. Intelsat’s satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure is unmatched in the industry, setting the standard for transmissions of video and broadband services. From the globalization of content and the proliferation of HD, to the expansion of cellular networks and mobile broadband access, Intelsat creates value for its customers through creative space-based solutions. Envision…Connect…Transform…with Intelsat, celebrating 50 years of space leadership in 2014. For more information, visit www.intelsat.com.
About MultiChoice
MultiChoice Africa (Pty) Limited (“MultiChoice “) is Africa’s pioneer pay TV provider, having launched the first digital satellite service in 1995. The company provides multi-channel digital pay television platforms containing channels from Africa, America, China, India, Asia and Europe and has over twenty years’ experience in offering cutting-edge digital technology and a selection of bouquets containing premium television channels for subscribers.
