LUXEMBOURG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SES (Paris:SESG)(LuxX:SESG) announced today that it has signed a capacity and uplink agreement with M7 Group, the Luxembourg-based satellite television provider, for distribution via ASTRA’s 19.2 degrees East orbital position.
The newly contracted capacity on 19.2 degrees East will be used for the Direct-to-Home (DTH) distribution of French speaking channels for the Belgian market, including the RTBF channels La Une and La Deux, as well as the RTL Group owned channels RTL TVi, RTL Club and Plug RTL. The channels will be included in the TéléSAT offering, the M7 Group owned satellite television brand for Wallonia. From January 2012 onwards, the M7 Group plans to expand its TéléSAT offering at 19.2 degrees East by the addition of the RTBF channel La Trois.
M7 Group provides DTH services to more than three million homes in The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia using the brand names CanalDigitaal, TV Vlaanderen, TéléSAT, AustriaSat, Skylink and CS Link. To serve the various European markets, M7 Group currently utilizes four transponders at ASTRA 19.2 degrees East and eight transponders at ASTRA 23.5 degrees East.
Ferdinand Kayser, Chief Commercial Officer of SES, says: “The agreement with M7 Group represents a further milestone in our longstanding partnership. Thanks to the new agreement, we will also gain a strong foothold in the important French speaking DTH market in Belgium. We are proud to now also carry the RTBF and Walloon RTL channels on board our satellites. Following its recent expansion activities in the Benelux and the Central and Eastern European markets, M7 Group is now one of our largest customers. We look very much forward to a continued fruitful cooperation.”
Hans Troelstra, Chief Operating Officer of M7 Group, states: “We are very happy with this new capacity agreement for Belgium. The excellent channel neighborhood and the high quality distribution via 19.2 degrees East are of key importance for serving the French speaking DTH market in Belgium. Moreover, the agreement allows us to further expand our line-up in the near future. SES has proved to be a very valuable and professional partner for our expansion into existing and new markets. We also look forward to a successful continuation.”
About SES
SES is a world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of 49 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 (Paris:SESG)(LuxX: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.
About M7 Group
M7 Group SA was established in October 2009 in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg and is a provider of satellite TV services for consumers and business customers. M7 operates the following brands: CanalDigitaal in the Netherlands, TV Vlaanderen in Flanders, TéléSAT in French speaking Belgium and in Luxembourg, AustriaSat and HD Austria in Austria and Skylink and CS Link in the Czech and Slovak Republic. All brands offer tailor made packages for clients adapted to the local culture and language in these countries.