Broadcasters Tap SES AMERICOM Satellites to Deliver News and On-Location Live Reports From Cape Canaveral and The First Space Shuttle Launch in 2 Years
Fresh from delivering wire-to-wire broadcasts of March Madness to millions of college hoops fans, SES AMERICOM, an SES GLOBAL company (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges: SESG), today announced its occasional use satellite services are now poised to deliver network and affiliate television coverage of the historic space shuttle launch later this spring to viewers across North America.
Leading broadcasters are tapping SES AMERICOM’s reliable AMC-5 and AMC-9 satellites for significant Ku-band capacity to provide extensive localized, national and international news reports on the milestone space mission from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
“The space shuttle launch this spring caps eighteen months of arguably one of the most intensive periods of noteworthy and headline-making special events and breaking news,” said Kelly Dressler, director of occasional sales and satellite services for SES AMERICOM. “SES AMERICOM’s occasional broadcast services are always on and ready to deliver the reliability and reach broadcasters must have to inform audiences anywhere in North America and the world. We’re extremely proud to provide the quality space segment that will bring broadcast news coverage of this special space mission to living rooms across North America.”
While many leading networks rely every day on SES AMERICOM satellites for fulltime distribution of news, information, sports and entertainment channels, the company’s always on occasional business has flourished in response to a full slate of scheduled and breaking news events throughout 2004 and 2005.
Broadcast news organizations across the country and the world have depended upon SES AMERICOM’s reliable spacecraft to distribute news and live reports of everything from the Super Bowl, March Madness, and the Summer Olympic Games to high profile trials and hearings, the 2004 presidential election and NASA’s latest launch. SES AMERICOM’s prime domestic and global space segment inventory and special events and news gathering expertise have enabled broadcast and cable coverage of an action packed schedule of newsworthy events from start to finish.
SES AMERICOM’s success in the occasional satellite services business is based on having bandwidth available from key orbital slots, industry knowledge and industry insight, and has resulted, for example, in more than 3,600 hours of video transmission time at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, and an estimated 6,000 hours of high definition (HDTV) sports programming distribution over the last year-and-a-half.
SES AMERICOM has a dedicated international team focused on serving the occasional satellite contribution and distribution needs of broadcasters, news agencies, networks, cable programmers, corporations, and ISPs. Whether it’s a planned event or an urgent, breaking news story, SES AMERICOM, SES GLOBAL and its partners provide everything from end-to-end special events management to the instant availability of capacity and connections to distribution points around the world.
To meet the around-the-clock needs of the broadcast industry, SES AMERICOM provides an online reservation system, STARS Online, which feature online access to bandwidth and inventory in every region of the world. STARS Online enables SNGs, resellers, and broadcasters to view, book, amend or cancel occasional satellite bandwidth in real-time over the Web at https://stars.ses-americom.com. The system provides customers 24/7 access to SES AMERICOM’s occasional inventory of domestic C-band and Ku-band capacity, plus digital/analog video channels and transoceanic capacity.
About SES AMERICOM
The largest supplier of satellite services in the Americas, SES AMERICOM, Inc. is recognized as a pioneer of global satellite communications services. Established in 1973 with its first satellite circuit for the U.S. Department of Defense, the company currently operates a fleet of 16 spacecraft in orbital positions predominantly providing service throughout the Americas. As a member of the SES GLOBAL family, SES AMERICOM is able to provide end-to-end telecommunications solutions to any region in the world. In 2001, the company established AMERICOM Government Services, a wholly owned subsidiary dedicated to providing satellite-based communications solutions to both civilian and defense agencies of the U.S. government. With its combined operations, SES AMERICOM serves broadcasters, cable programmers, aeronautical and maritime communications integrators, Internet service providers, mobile communications networks, government agencies, educational institutions, carriers and secure global data networks with efficient communication and content distribution solutions.
Contacts
SES AMERICOM
Monica Morgan, +1-609-987-4143
monica.morgan@ses-americom.com
or
For SES AMERICOM
Paul Sims, +1-678-576-6126
simscomm@mindspring.com
