SES ASTRA, an SES company (Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG), announced
today an increase of transponder capacity for the German television
channel Tele 5. The increase serves Tele 5 to further improve and
optimise the picture quality in Standard Definition (SD)
transmissions. The agreement on additional capacity is effective
immediately.
"This new agreement with Tele 5 shows that TV channels and viewers
are benefiting from the technical advantages of the satellite
transmission not only in the area of High Definition (HD) but also in
Standard Definition", said Wolfgang Elsasser, Managing Director of
ASTRA in Germany. "The further improvement of the transmission quality
is especially driven by the increasing demand for high quality TV flat
screens and represents a significant driver for digital capacity
demand."
"The digital transmission of our program becomes increasingly
important for us as the share of digital satellite households is
steadily growing", said Ludwig Bauer, Managing Director of Tele 5.
"Our ambition as a movie channel is to offer the 8.2 million digital
satellite households in Germany top cinema quality in their living
rooms. With this additional capacity agreement with ASTRA, we can
further strengthen our profile as a premium movie channel."
About SES ASTRA www.ses-astra.com
SES ASTRA is the leading Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite system in
Europe, delivering services to more than 109 million DTH and cable
households. The ASTRA satellite fleet currently comprises 13
satellites, transmitting 1,864 analogue and digital television and
radio channels. SES ASTRA also provides satellite-based multimedia,
internet and telecommunication services to enterprises, governments
and their agencies. With 26 High Definition (HD) channels available
via its satellites today, ASTRA is also the most important HDTV
broadcasting platform in Europe. ASTRA's prime orbital positions are
19.2 degrees East, 28.2 degrees East, and 23.5 degrees East.
SES ASTRA is an SES company (Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG). SES owns
three market-leading satellite operators, SES ASTRA in Europe, SES
AMERICOM in North America, and SES NEW SKIES, which provide global
coverage and connectivity. The Company also holds strategic
participations in SES Sirius in Europe, Ciel in Canada and Quetzsat in
Mexico. SES provides outstanding satellite communications solutions
via a fleet of 37 satellites in 25 orbital positions around the globe.
Additional information on SES is available at: www.ses.com
