Advanced Television

Intelsat 17 expands programming reach for India’s Sun TV Network

March 21, 2011

Intelsat, the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, has announced that Sun TV Network has signed a multi-year, multi-transponder contract for C-band capacity on the recently launched  Intelsat 17 satellite (IS-17) at the 66º E orbital location. The agreement marks the second major programmer to join the line-up at Intelsat’s newly expanded video neighborhood in the Indian Ocean region.

Sun TV, India’s leading regional media group, will use the new satellite capacity to expand its programming distribution to viewers across India and beyond. Sun TV will migrate its current 20 channels to IS-17 and use additional bandwidth to support its expansion plans.

The IS-17 satellite was launched in November 2010 and entered service in January 2011. It provides C- and Ku-band capacity across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Russia from the 66º E orbital location, with an expected service life through 2026.

“The IS-17’s multi-continental coverage provides us with a reliable and resilient distribution platform from which to serve our existing market, and also provides access to all of our potential distribution partners across the region,” said Sivanesh Kannan, CTO of Sun TV. “The satellite is ideally suited to support the introduction of new high-definition programming and ensures service continuity for many years to come.”

Kannan added, “This new capacity, combined with Intelsat’s industry leading technical expertise and responsive customer service, will enable us to reach the widest possible audience with the highest quality signal.”

Kurt Riegelman, Intelsat’s SVP of Global Sales, said, “The addition of Sun TV further enhances IS-17 as the Indian Ocean region’s new programming neighborhood. We are grateful for the opportunity to support Sun TV’s regional content distribution requirements and HD expansion plans.”

Categories: Broadcast, DTH/Satellite, Press Releases, Services