UPSTAR
Selects
Eutelsat
to
Broadcast
"ZAP"
The
New
Satellite
Bouquet
of
Angola
2
March
2010
Eutelsat
Communications
has
signed
a
major
contract
with
UPSTAR
Comunicações
for
satellite
capacity
for
the
broadcasting
of
ZAP
pay-TV
platform,
expected
to
launch
shortly
in
Angola.
UPSTAR
Comunicações
is a
joint
venture
between
ZON
Multimedia,
one
of
the
leading
Portuguese
media
groups
and
the
Angolan
group
SOCIP.
The
five-year
contract
covers
the
lease
of
five
Ku-band
transponders
on
the
Southern
Africa
beam
of
Eutelsat's
W7
satellite
which
began
operational
service
in
January
this
year.
ZAP
will
assemble
a
strong
component
of
channels
in
Portuguese,
and
will
drive
innovation
into
content
broadcast
in
high
definition.
It
will
include
a
"Max
package"
of
50
channels
and
a
"Premium
package"
of
80
channels
with
a
mix
of
channels
featuring
TV
series,
films,
music,
children's
programmes,
news,
sports
and
documentaries.
Content
for
ZAP
will
be
uplinked
to
Eutelsat's
W7
satellite
from
UPSTAR's
teleports,
in
Luanda
and
in
Vendas
Novas,
Portugal.
The
high
power
of
W7's
African
beam
will
enable
reception
across
Angola
with
small
antennas.
User
equipment
will
include
a
60-cm
dish
connected
to
decoders
equipped
with
Nagravision
encryption
and
a
HD-DVR
with
250
hours
of
storage
capacity.
To
optimise
bandwidth
usage,
channels
will
be
broadcast
in
DVB-S2
with
MPEG4
compression.
"With
Eutelsat's
W7
satellite
now
on
stream,
we
are
equipped
with
perfectly
suited
in-orbit
resources
for
the
launch
of
ZAP,
the
Angolan
pay-TV
platform
able
to
address
households
nationwide
with
state-of-the-art
technology."
said
Nuno
Aguiar,
CEO
of
ZAP.
"Eutelsat's
W7
satellite
meets
our
precise
requirements
for
building
a
pay-TV
network
across
Angola
using
small
consumer
terminals.
The
availability
of
this
powerful
new
satellite
marks
a
critical
step
forward
towards
the
launch
of a
compelling
new
product
in
the
audiovisual
landscape."
Olivier
Milliès-Lacroix,
Eutelsat's
Commercial
Director,
responded:
"This
new
contract
underscores
the
continuing
dynamic
of
digital
television
across
sub-Saharan
Africa.
The
high-power
African
beams
on
our
new
W7
satellite
represent
a
substantial
asset
for
broadcasters
operating
in
these
markets,
providing
the
means
to
extend
their
service
and
audience
reach
in
Africa
and
meeting
growing
consumer
demand
for
an
enhanced
television
experience.
We
are
delighted
to
welcome
ZAP
onto
W7
and
to
accompany
the
development
of a
new
player
in
Angola's
broadcasting
market."
talk Satellite welcomes comment -
comment@talksatellite.com
