European public broadcasters sign contracts on SES’ prime TV neighbourhoods

The public broadcasters who have signed contracts include ARD, ZDF, BBC, TV5Monde, France 24 and BVN.

SES has signed multi-year capacity agreements totalling over EUR 66m ($8,00,01,240) in backlog with multiple public broadcasters in Europe throughout 2020, enabling millions of satellite TV households across Europe to continue watching SD and HD content delivered with world-class reliability.

The public broadcasters who have signed contracts directly with SES include ARD and ZDF in Germany, BBC in the UK, BVN in the Netherlands, as well as TV5Monde and France 24 from France via its partner Globecast, strengthening SES’s position as the world’s leading global content connectivity provider.

The increase in linear content in 2020 reinforces satellite as the most reliable way to broadcast to the widest possible audience and in the best quality desired by the viewer.

The latest agreements signed between public broadcasters and SES illustrate how European broadcasters are leveraging SES’s satellites at the prime orbital slots of 19.2 degrees East and 28.2 degrees East to reach more than 89m satellite TV homes, surpassing other satellite or terrestrial operators.

Commenting on the agreement, Steve Collar, CEO at SES, said: “Delivering TV programmes with reliable information and quality entertainment is important, especially in times of crisis. We are very pleased to help ARD, ZDF, BBC, TV5Monde, France 24 and BVN — some of the biggest names in European broadcasting — reach as many people as possible with their public service offering. Satellite is an invaluable distribution resource today and it will remain so in the future.