Advanced Television

FIBA selects SatLink for Global content distribution of Olympic Qualifying Tournament

August 2, 2012

SatLink Communications, a teleport providing global satellite services, has confirmed that FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, selected SatLink as its content distribution partner for the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Ankara, Turkey. FIBA utilised SatLink’s proven Occasional Use (OU) capabilities to provide professional service with maximum flexibility and reliability for viewers in Asia, the Middle East and Americas.

The live broadcasting of the tournament, which took place 25 June – 1st July, was transmitted to the Asia Pacific and Middle East via AsiaSat5 and on the Intelsat IS805 satellite to the Americas. The tournament, saw 12 national teams compete in a last chance tournament to achieve qualification for the London 2012 Olympic Games with Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, France and Turkey eventually qualifying for London, and saw SatLink transmit more than 15 games across 6 days to broadcasters around the world including NHK and SBS ESPN Korea.

SatLink, which has provided global OU services for more than 20 years for other major sporting events including: the FIFA World Cup, Tour de France and Formula One, provided turnaround for FIBA’s satellite coverage in C-band in order to deliver the content in High Definition (HD) formats to FIBA’s international broadcast partners.

Stéphanie Mignot, FIBA’s Director of TV / New Media Operations & Sales commented: “SatLink was a very good partner to provide the transmission capabilities for this tournament. SatLink’s strategic location meant that they were ideally placed to meet our broadcast requirements. With its experience in global distribution into key continents, state-of-the-art teleport facilities and professional staff, we were confident that they would provide a high quality and successful transmission of this international event. And they did just that.”

David Hochner, CEO of SatLink, commented: “We are delighted that we have been able to provide the Occasional Use facilities that FIBA required to reach audiences in Asia, the Middle East and Americas using our content delivery capabilities and global satellite network. With the London Olympics now fast approaching, we are seeing increasing demand for high quality and reliable satellite solutions from broadcasters wanting to transmit international sporting and news events as they happen to their audiences across the globe. We have vast experience and knowledge in providing live transmissions and are constantly working to provide the solutions and services to extend our global audience reach further than ever before and in formats that enhance the live broadcast experience to viewers across the globe.”

Categories: DTH/Satellite, Press Releases