Tag Archives: Eutelsat

Globacom, Eutelsat sign broadband deal

Lagos-based telecommunications and TV company Globacom and European satellite operator Eutelsat have signed a multi-year wholesale capacity deal to bring satellite broadband to underserved areas of Nigeria.

Rodolphe Belmer

Through the partnership, Conpetro-owned Globacom will be able to deliver high-speed broadband to businesses and communities in unconnected and underserved areas throughout Nigeria via the Eutelsat Konnect satellite.

Globacom, founded in 2003 by Nigerian billionaire and company chairman Mike Adenuga, is the second largest network operator in Nigeria, with more than 45 million subscribers. The company recently launched mobile television service Glo TV.

Rodolphe Belmer, CEO of Eutelsat, said: “We are honoured to have been selected by Globacom, one of the leading telecommunications operators in Africa’s most populous market, to extend the reach of its services. This agreement illustrates the unparalleled resources of our powerful Eutelsat Konnect satellite to satisfy the strong demand for connectivity in underserved regions throughout the African continent.”

“We are delighted to add satellite services to our portfolio, leveraging the state-of-the art Eutelsat Konnect satellite to extend connectivity to even far-flung areas in Nigeria, in line with our mission to build Africa’s biggest and best telecommunications network. The infrastructure will complement our Glo 1 submarine cable and extensive fibre optic layout across the country,” added Adenuga.

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Eutelsat, Travel Africa Network partner

Eutelsat Communications has sign a multi-year contract with Travel Africa Network to carry its first African travel channel in high definition.

Nicolas Baravalle

Travel Africa Network, which broadcasts 100% African content dedicated to promoting tourism and hospitality on the continent, will leverage Eutelsat’s premier video hotspot at 13° East while the Hotbird satellites broadcasts into more than 135 million homes in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

Nicolas Baravalle, regional VP for Sub-Saharan Africa at Eutelsat, said: “We are proud to welcome Travel Africa Network to the Hotbird line-up. Their confidence reflects the unparalleled reach of our 13° East of both installed households and luxury hotels, and we hope it will lead the way for more African channels targeting Europe and MENA.”

Maggie Mutangiri, CEO of Travel Africa Network, added: “We are delighted to launch the first dedicated African travel channel on Hotbird, enabling us to broadcast high-quality content to the widest possible audience to promote African travel experiences and attract more visitors to our beautiful continent. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Eutelsat as we look to expand our offer in the future.”

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Vivacom links with Magic Movies

Vivacom, the largest telecommunications company in Bulgaria, has teamed with African broadcaster Magic Movies to provide uplink services on the Eutelsat 8W satellite platform.

Bernard Azria

The pact comprises a complete solution including the signal contribution, encoding, encryption and uplink of TV channels Nina TV English and Nina TV French for African pay TV platforms. Nina TV showcases telenovelas from Africa, Brazil and elsewhere.

Bernard Azria, Magic Movies CEO, said: “We are excited about our partnership with Vivacom, as it will improve our reliability and coverage to a wider audience in African and Latin American markets. Vivacom [offers] the best quality possible with highly professional services in uplink and monitoring.”

Vladimir Rangelov, senior manager of broadcasting services at Vivacom, added: “We are delighted to partner with Nina TV and bring their channels to the pay TV operators in Africa and new markets, and that they recognise our unrivalled ability to provide a high-quality service that helps them reach new viewers, expanding their customer base.”

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Eutelsat leads in DTH satellite markets

European satellite platform Eutelsat is the market leader in the satellite TV market in Nigeria, Cameroon and Ivory Coast, according to new research.

Eutelsat’s position in the TV market was revealed in a study by media research firm Nielsen in the three countries. It involved one-on-one interviews with 3,000 households in Nigeria, 2,000 in Cameroon and 2,000 in Ivory Coast.

It was discovered that DTH satellite television was the most used TV delivery technology in Ivory Coast, reaching 68% of households, and a very popular method in Nigeria (41% of households) and Cameroon (38% of households).

This translates as 1.5 million satellite TV households in Ivory Coast, 10.3 million in Nigeria and 1.3 million in Cameroon. Of this installed DTH base, Eutelsat’s satellite signals reach 240,000 households in Ivory Coast, five million in Nigeria, and 940,000 in Cameroon.

“Eutelsat is pleased to have established a strong presence in the regional audiovisual landscape, providing millions of households with access to a wide range of local and international channels,” said Nicolas Baravalle, VP for sub-Saharan Africa at Eutelsat.

“This study confirms that Eutelsat’s 16° east position is the leading position for free-to-air broadcasting in Cameroon and Ivory Coast and that Eutelsat’s three positions – 36° east, 7° east and 16° east – serve the largest combined audience in the Nigerian market,” he added.

“It is a testament to our long-standing partnership with many of Africa’s leading TV channels and bouquets. We look forward to strengthening these partnerships to develop our services as these dynamic markets continue to evolve.”

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DSTV Eutelsat contest open for entries

The eighth edition of the DSTV Eutelsat Star Awards essay and poster competition is now open for entries.

Students between the ages of 14 and 19 are encouraged to take part in the contest, which is organised by pay TV company MultiChoice in partnership with European satellite operator Eutelsat.

Entries will take the form of a creative writing project or poster that focuses on “areas you believe the full potential of satellites has not yet been tapped into or embraced.”

Submissions can be sent to any MultiChoice office listed on the entry form, which can be obtained from any MultiChoice Resource Centre or through its website.

Entries are accepted in English, French and Portuguese and will be judged on accuracy, creativity and originality.

Submissions will be accepted until October 12 and the overall winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in February.

Twenty-four students will be selected from the expected 1,000 entries and two finalists will be chosen.

The essay category winner gets a trip to Paris, where they will see a rocket launch. The poster category prize is a trip for two to South Africa where the winner will visit the South African National Space Agency as well as explore heritage sites as guests of MultiChoice Africa.

The DSTV Eutelsat Star Awards began in 2011 with the purpose of encouraging young minds to be innovative in the areas of science and technology. Since then more than 7,000 students have been involved in the competition which has created a platform for the collaboration of the academic and scientific worlds in Africa.

Based in Paris, Eutelsat is the third largest satellite operator worldwide. It provides coverage in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the US. Eutelsat’s satellites broadcast into over 274 million cable and satellite homes.

MultiChoice is the parent company of pay TV platforms DSTV and GOtv, which are among the leading cable networks on the continent, broadcasting in at least 49 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa.

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DStv Eutelsat winners announced

The winners of the eighth edition of the DSTV Eutelsat Star Awards essay and poster competition have been revealed.

The essay category was won by Tirzah Ikiri of Zamani College, Kaduna, while the poster award was won by Prosper Okarike of Graceland International College, Port-Harcourt.

The runner-up in the essay category was Micheal Okwutu of The Heavenly College, Lagos, while Wandoo Ayabam of Hill Crest School, Jos, was runner-up for the poster.

The Nigerian winners can now compete to be crowned Africa’s best in both categories. The competition was open to students between ages 14 and 19 and over 70 entries were received.

John Ugbe, CEO of pay TV group MultiChoice, said: “The award is meant to inspire innovative thinking among secondary-school students in Africa, to create awareness of how science and technology can be applied to everyday life and to showcase the many ways that satellites already impact the development of the African continent.”

This competition was organised by Naspers-owned MultiChoice in partnership with European satellite operator Eutelsat.

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Hi-Impact added to Eutelsat

Nigerian HD cablenet Hi-Impact TV has begun broadcasting on European satellite platform Eutelsat.

Victoria Odimba

Hi-Impact, which launched in June, will broaden its reach with its presence on Eutelsat, which is the third largest satellite operator in the world and currently broadcasts in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the US.

Victoria Odimba, assistant general manager at Hi-Impact TV, said: “Eutelsat is one of the biggest and oldest satellite operators in the world and is used for broadcasting 6,800 television stations to over 274 million homes throughout the world.”

Hi-Impact prides itself as being the first full HD channel in Nigeria. Upon its launch, it promised more educational entertainment targeted at West African Examinations Council and National Examinations Council students.

“Its HD transmission and edutainment give something different in your home. TV experience mustn’t only be about music and movies, but something educational, with high-quality teachers in your subject areas,” said Odimba.

 

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