Brazil: Intelsat establishes satellite video neighbourhood
March 31, 2022
Intelsat, operator of one of the world’s largest integrated satellite and terrestrial networks, has announced the commencement of ‘seeding’ of antennas at more than 200 cable headends in Brazil in cooperation with local vendor, Z2Gtech.
Antenna seeding is an installation programme providing widespread access to cable headends across Brazil, creating a new video neighborhood on Intelsat 14 (IS-14) at 45°WL. IS-14 will reach more than 98 per cent of cable TV subscribers bringing value and monetisation opportunities for programmers seeking to reach the Brazilian market.
“This antenna seeding creates a unique and highly-targeted Brazil-focused neighbourhood offering value for our Latin America programmers. This neighbourhood serves the largest television audience in the region with specialised content and further enhances the customer profile on IS-14,” said Bill O’Hara, vice president and general manager of Media at Intelsat.
IS-14 is focused on regional video distribution and has high penetration into regional systems across all Latin American countries. The antenna programme is a pioneering way to enhance cable penetration to all key MSOs in Brazil.
TV Cultura, a Brazilian television network that serves over-the-air, cable, and satellite TV systems, will be an initial customer on the IS-14 video neighbourhood.
“TV Cultura viewers across Brazil will have access to high quality, cultural, informative and entertaining television content,” said Nelson Faria, TV Cultura’s technical director. “With Intelsat, we can broaden our reach and provide more affordable and differentiated programming to our viewers. The quality, reliability, and reach of Intelsat’s video neighbourhoods enable us to achieve significant operational savings while at the same time increasing our viewership and enhancing the service offerings that we deliver to households across Brazil.”Intelsat selected Z2Gtech, a company specialised in the integration of satellite transmission systems, to manage the project. Following a comprehensive site survey, technical installations of new antennas are being performed throughout Brazil. Z2Gtech has deployed multiple teams to manage the installations and ensure full technical excellence in the reception of IS-14 signals.“The IS-14 antenna seeding program is an innovative approach by Intelsat to better serve the Brazilian telecommunications market, enabling programmers to efficiently grow their businesses,” said Herbe Zambrone Junior, Z2Gtech’s CEO.IS-14 complements Intelsat’s other video neighborhoods in the region including, Intelsat 21 and Intelsat 34. Together, these neighborhoods serve nearly all video subscribers throughout the region with full cable penetration.