Millions of households across Africa, Europe, and Asia-Pacific will be able to access a free-to-air TV channel via SES satellites dedicated to delivering informative content about Covid-19. The channel, titled Fight COVID-19, broadcasts content that is aimed at providing underserved and rural communities with critical information about how to limit the spread of the virus. […]
Satellite operator SES has reached an agreement with its personnel delegations to discontinue social plan talks for its Luxembourg-based employees, instead shifting gears to negotiate an employment safeguard plan. In Luxembourg, SES management and its personnel delegation reports they have had multiple meetings in the last four weeks. Together, they have managed to reduce the […]
BBC Studios has awarded a major multi-year playout, management and distribution contract to SES to cover more than 50 linear channels and their associated VoD services. The contract, which will serve BBC Studio and the UKTV platform, will be handled by SES’s European global delivery services with technical playout infrastructure provided from SES’s new Stockley […]
Inmarsat and Hughes Network Systems have joined Eutelsat in objecting to the FCC’s current C-band auction rules. The pair say that the FCC’s incentive scheme favours Intelsat and SES and will give the two satellite giants an unfair competitive advantage. Inmarsat and Hughes (and EchoStar Satellite Services) have written to the FCC saying they agree […]
Viewers in Ghana and Nigeria are growing increasingly fond of satellite DTH availability. A study from SES, part of their annual Satellite Monitor survey, reveals a steady increase in the penetration of satellite TV across Africa. The study on TV reception also shows an increase in SES reach from 33 million African households in 2018 […]
A court case has been heard by the US Court of Appeals between ABS, Hispasat and Arsat which had been arguing that the FCC should pause the date of Commission’s Dec auction of C-band frequencies over the US. The trio were deliberately excluded by the FCC from its incentive plan for C-band compensation given to […]
SES has successfully issued a €400 million bond. The satellite operator says the issue was oversubscribed 2.5 times. The bond takes advantage of current low interest rates and will strengthen liquidity for SES which is about to spend around $1.6 billion on new satellites and infrastructure for its C-band transition over the US. SES is […]
Both Intelsat and FCC filed their C-band accelerated spectrum transition plans with the FCC on June 19th. The schemes outline how their clients will be moved in order to free up spectrum for the FCC’s 5G adoption. The plans show how some 3,500 cable head-ends and 13,500 Earth stations will have 60,000 blocking filters changed […]
The announcement that Ferdinand Kayser (CEO, SES Video division) and John Purvis (Head of Legal/General Counsel) are stepping down from their senior roles also brings to an end another ‘Luxembourg connection’ for SES. Chairman of the Board Romain Bausch is a Luxembourger, of course, as are some of the other Board members. But Kayser’s departure […]
Despite being in bankruptcy protection, Intelsat’s executives are seeking to continue receiving impressive salaries and compensation packages. Intelsat is continuing to operate its business as a ‘debtor in possession’. On June 30th, the bankruptcy court will consider a motion to allow Intelsat to continue paying senior staff under its Key Executive Incentive Plan (KEIP) which […]