Comcast Wholesale Expands Cornerstone Capacity Agreement with SES - Media leader secures eighteen transponders to deliver HITS® and Content Services
Luxembourg
SES (NYSE Paris: SESG)(LuxX: SESG) today announced that Comcast Wholesale has renewed and expanded key agreements for nearly 650 MHz of C-band capacity to deliver a broad range of content management and delivery solutions to media companies across North America.
As part of the multi-year deal, Comcast Wholesale (formerly the Comcast Media Center) continues to utilize sixteen transponders aboard the AMC-18 satellite and two additional transponders on the AMC-1 spacecraft to provide cable programmers, MSOs and independent cable operators access to linear and on-demand content distribution solutions including the HITS® (Headend in the Sky®) platform. Comcast Wholesale on-demand programming distribution will be transitioned from AMC-1 to the new SES-3 satellite in 2014.
AMC-18 and AMC-1 make up two-thirds of SES' expanding cable neighborhood at the Center Arc, the heart of North America's prime video distribution location in space. AMC-18 has played an integral role supporting the HITS platform since 2007, when Comcast Wholesale moved its innovative platform from Ku-band to C-band.
"This agreement marks the latest milestone in a long-term, collaborative partnership between Comcast Wholesale and SES that has always strived to meet the evolving needs and demands of the media and entertainment industry," explained Steve Bunke, Vice President of North America Media Sales for SES. "Comcast Wholesale has long been an engine for innovation for the cable industry with its HITS solution aimed at helping independent operators compete in a fiercely contested market. SES is honored to renew and expand our alliance with Comcast Wholesale with a constant eye on the future."
"The ever-changing industry landscape requires a new level of expertise and outside-the-box thinking that SES has always brought to the table in support of our solutions," said Leslie Russell, Vice President and General Manager HITS. "We have the right satellite distribution partner to deliver our comprehensive services portfolio, ranging from linear to on-demand to network origination services.
About the Satellites
Offering prime North America coverage, AMC-1's C-band payload is home to national TV networks broadcasting to thousands of cable headends. AMC-18 is optimized for digital television distribution from the center of the US orbital arc and covers 50 states, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico.
About Comcast Wholesale
A division of Comcast Cable, Comcast Wholesale offers third-party businesses access to services and technologies developed and proven by an industry leader. From content distribution and media management to advertising delivery and IP services, Comcast Wholesale's service portfolio helps businesses launch new products and remain competitive through lower up-front investment, improved efficiency and faster time to market. More information about Comcast Wholesale may be found at www.comcastwholesale.com.
About SES
SES is a world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of 53 geostationary satellites. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide. SES stands for long-lasting business relationships, high-quality service and excellence in the broadcasting industry. The culturally diverse regional teams of SES are located around the globe and work closely with customers to meet their specific satellite bandwidth and service requirements. SES (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) holds participations in Ciel in Canada and QuetzSat in Mexico, as well as a strategic participation in satellite infrastructure start-up O3b Networks. Further information under: www.ses.com.
###
Comcast and HITS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Comcast. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners.
SES Media Contact:
Markus Payer
Market Communication & PR
Tel. +352 710 725 500
Markus.Payer@ses.com
Comcast Wholesale Media Contact:
Andy Holdgate
Tel. 720-270-1325
holdgatepr@comcast.net
