SES Americom Enters Into Lease Agreement With Rainbow DBS

SPACEMART

AMC-6 on the turntable

Princeton NJ (SPX) Jun 10, 2004
SES Americom, an SES Global company has entered into an agreement with Rainbow DBS, Cablevision System Corporation's satellite division, to lease 16 transponders over the next ten years to augment the capacity of VOOM, its High-Definition (HD) television service. VOOM, which offers more HD programming than any cable or satellite provider, will lease thethe Ku-band transponders aboard AMC-6 satellite to deliver even more HD programming to customers.

The agreement, scheduled to start October 1, 2004, firmly establishes Americom2Home as the "go to" provider for DTH capacity having secured bandwidth commitments for four FSS and BSS satellite payloads since its inception in April 2002. At the same time, the VOOM contract reinforces Americom's leadership as the U.S. carrier of choice for High DefinitionHD programming, leadership established with Americom's two-satellite HD-PRIME neighborhood.

SES Americom, as part of its Americom2Home (A2H) residential satellite services initiative, worked with VOOM to develop the capability for a single dish solution, which will enablewould provide VOOM subscribers the option to enjoy a wide range of exciting offerings delivered over its existing, proprietary satellite Rainbow 1, and and soon over nowaswell as via AMC-6.

VOOM also has the option to absorb an additional 8 transponders, the balance of the Ku-band payload on AMC-6. VOOM's expanded programming capability will be further enhanced through the planned application of its MPEG-4 compression technology, which will be phased in over the next two years.

Americom2Home (A2H) is focused on providing technical and bandwidth solutions to direct-to-home providers. A2H demonstrated an innovative dual feed (Ku FSS and Ku BSS) elliptical dish antenna system for the VOOM technical team that was both technically efficient and cost effective.

The dish, which has since been adopted by VOOM, enables the subscriber to receive quality signals from both satellites even though they are more than 10 degrees apart and operate in different bands.

"We are pleased that VOOM has selected SES Americom as part of an important step towards expanding bandwidth and enhancing its HD programming," said Bryan McGuirk, senior vice president of domestic satellite services for SES Americom.

"SES Americom's AMC-6 satellite provides VOOM with additional opportunities to increase its customer program offerings, which already consist of more than 35 HD channels and over 80 standard-definition channels."

"Partnering with SES Americom is part of VOOM's long-term strategy to maintain our competitive edge in HD programming ," said Mickey Alpert, chief operating officer for Rainbow DBS. "On the basis of their satellite platform, experience and technical know-how, we look forward to working with SES Americom as we continue to move forward to meet the demands of a growing but underserved HDTV market."

Explosive Increase in HD Households

According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the sale of HDTV sets continues to grow exponentially. Ian April 2004 ? CEA revealed that January and February manufacturer-to-dealer sales of digital television sets, 88% of which are HD-enabled, are were up 124% over the same period last year.

That's great news for HDTV programmers and service providers, like VOOM, as the number of high definition screens ready to receive HD content grows at a blistering pace. (note: the CEA press release discussed digital Tvs, which includes but are not exclusively HDTVs)

Launched at the end of 2000, AMC-6 is a Lockheed Martin A2100 hybrid C/Ku-band satellite, which from its position at 72 degrees West in the eastern portion of the U.S. orbital arc, supports occasional video and SNG clients, as well as government, VSAT network, and entertainment customers. VOOM will leverage the satellite's wide coverage and high levels of redundancy to expand its program offerings to subscribers its across the U.S.

VOOM, provided by Rainbow DBS, Cablevision System Corporation's satellite division, is the first television service to provide a comprehensive array of high-definition (HD) programming for the rapidly growing but underserved HDTV audience.

With a lineup of more than 35 HD channels, VOOM delivers more HD programming than any other satellite or cable service provider. VOOM's HD lineup includes STARZ! HD, Encore HD, Showtime HD, Playboy Hot HD, ESPN HD, HBO HDTV and Cinemax HDTV.

SPACEMART

New Skies Sold For A Billion Dollars

The Hague (SPX) Jun 07, 2004
New Skies Satellites N.V., the global satellite communications company, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement for the sale of the Company to affiliates of The Blackstone Group, a leading private investment firm, for $956 million in cash, equivalent to approximately $7.96 per fully diluted share.

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