StarTV announced the launch of its new Direct-to-Home pay-TV
service in Mexico. The new platform will start later this month
in the Mexican state of Zacatecas and other parts of the
country, replacing the TVZac platform that has been available
regionally through microwave distribution. To support its new
phase of expansion into DTH, StarTV has signed a multi-year
agreement with Eutelsat Americas, a subsidiary of Eutelsat
Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL), for capacity on the
EUTELSAT 117 West A and EUTELSAT 117 West B satellites.
StarTV plans to bring new pay-TV packages to the Mexican
market featuring well-known national and international channels
and partnering with local distributors. The new platform will
begin to operate with 50 channels.
EUTELSAT 117 West A is located at 116.8° West, a prime video
neighbourhood for the Americas. The satellite’s exceptional
power levels in Ku-band have led it to be selected by anchor
customers to provide DTH services across the region. The
116.8°West neighbourhood will be further strengthened in 2016
with the launch of the EUTELSAT 117 West B all-electric
satellite that will be co-located with EUTELSAT 117 West A to
support growth of Direct-to-Home television services in the
Americas.
Julio Di-Bella, CEO of Stargroup, said: “Thanks to the
Telecommunications Reform carried out by the Mexican government
and the drive of the Federal Institute of Telecommunications to
promote competition, there is an opportunity to provide an
alternative satellite TV service. As a socially responsible
company we want to continue to contribute to technological
development and access to information in our country, offering
quality television in the spirit of TVZac, with the support of
our subscribers. Eutelsat has been a key ally and has the
coverage and capacity that we need to guarantee the best service
to our customers both today and in the future. Working
hand-in-hand, we are excited by the prospect of consolidating
our place in the Mexican pay-TV industry.”
Patricio Northland, CEO of Eutelsat Americas, added: “The
development of DTH services in the Americas is a strategic
objective for Eutelsat. We are delighted to win the trust of
StarTV as a new player in Mexico and to leverage our prime video
neighbourhood to broaden the pay-TV offer in Mexico and beyond.”
