30 March 2015
Strong Media SAL-Off-Shore
(SMO) has signed a multi-year
contract with Eutelsat
Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris:
ETL) that equips it to take its pay
TV operations in Africa to a new
level. SMO has leased capacity on
the EUTELSAT 16A satellite to deploy
a diversified range of English,
French and Arabic-speaking
television services over Sub-Saharan
Africa, leveraging the group’s
proven distribution capabilities
across the region.
“Ma TELE” and “Shashatee”,
SMO’s new French and Arabic-speaking
pay-TV
services are gearing up for launch
in April, joining the established
“My TV” service that has been
resized and rebranded as “My TV
Smart” on EUTELSAT 16A, taking
advantage of the satellite’s
powerful African footprint. “Ma
TELE” will initially target
potential subscribers in Côte
d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic
of Congo with an offer of close to
30 channels, including its own
flagship Africa-specific channels
and AB Sat’s BIS Africa service,
complemented by a rich line-up of
unencrypted (free-to-air) channels.
STRONG is one of the
leading and most experienced
providers of consumer digital
satellite TV receiving equipment,
with its own operations for
distribution, technical support and
after-sales service in a number of
Sub-Saharan Africa countries. The
new services will benefit from
STRONG’s proven capabilities in
providing efficient distribution and
a comprehensive product range of
consumer premises equipment.
Samer
Mourad, Chief Operating Officer of
SMO, declared: “We are excited
to announce the launch of our new
services for Sub-Saharan Africa. We
selected EUTELSAT 16A for its solid
video
neighbourhood and significant
audience penetration in our target
markets. We are more than confident
that our cooperation with Eutelsat
will bring the desired added value
to the services we intend to deploy
over the region.”
Michel Azibert, Chief
Commercial and Development Officer
at Eutelsat, said: “Our 16° East
neighbourhood
is fast ramping up to be a key point
of reference for a diverse range of
African and international content.
With STRONG’s skills at assembling
compelling digital content and
ensuring viewers get access to
affordable and quality consumer
equipment we are well placed for a
new phase of growth. We look forward
to collaborating with STRONG on
accelerating access to digital
entertainment in Africa.”
