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Popularity of Sports & Events Content Drives Uptake on SES's Dedicated Satellite Distribution Platform

19 July 2023

Live sports and news events in the last 12 months are driving uptake on SES’s dedicated sports and events satellite distribution platform – ASTRA 1 Sports. Covering Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, the ASTRA 1 Sports satellite distribution platform was leveraged for more than 1,500 events delivered to hundreds of feed takers, with sports and events customers enjoying its powerful wide beam coverage with high throughput, boosted network efficiency, flexibility and security.    

From sports rights holders, leagues and federations to TV networks and service providers, SES distributed thousands of hours of sports, major events and significant breaking news content on ASTRA 1 Sports, including FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, the World Judo Championships, the World Padel Tour, FIA World Rallycross events and “Operation Lion” in the UK.

One customer leveraging the platform is Telefonica Broadcast Services. “As the viewership and interest in sports and events continues to grow globally, we are delighted to have a partner like SES, capable to deliver our most important events like the World Padel Tour, Valencia Marathon and beyond, with their satellite distribution platform. This way, we know that our premium content not only reliably reaches our fans across EMEA in the highest quality possible, but we are also able to grow and attract new audiences,” said Laura Arnaiz, head of booking department at Telefonica Broadcast Services.

“Live sports and events continue to be the most valuable assets for broadcasters and the leagues and rights holders they partner with in terms of building and engaging global audiences,” said Michele Gosetti, Head of Sales, Sports & Events at SES. “The momentum with our satellite distribution platform in its first year underscores the increasing demand for reliable content delivery in the industry, and we anticipate for it to grow even more. With the combination of our satellite, fibre and IP infrastructure, we are able to bring a hybrid differentiated offering in the market as the premier distribution partner and ensure our sports and events customers are able to do what they do best – bring exciting sports to fans across the globe.”

A leader in distributing sports and events, SES broadcasts over 700 hours of premium sports each day and works with more than 500 sports and events customers. SES broadcasts a wide range of sports, from men’s and women’s professional football, American football, tennis, golf and cricket to cycling. These include on-going games and matches for high-profile leagues such as the NFL, Premier League and Women’s Serie A to sports with specialised interest, such as motor sports.