Ultra HD Gains Momentum in the US with 30 Pay TV Providers Testing 4K Delivery on SES's Platform

With an additional nine TV operators joining SES’s Ultra HD trials, a total of 30 US Pay TV providers, with a combined audience of more than 10 million subscribers, are now testing SES’s 4K content delivery platform across their distribution networks.

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The latest wave of Pay TV system operators to ink Ultra HD trial agreements with SES includes:

• Alliance Communications, an Internet, phone and cable TV operator serving subscribers in South Dakota and Minnesota;
• Cincinnati Bell, a leading telco in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky;
• Douglas County Community Network, an ultra-high-speed broadband and IPTV provider in the state of Washington;
• Hotwire, a national telecom provider;
• Midco, a regional provider of triple play services in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Kansas;
• Midwest Video Solutions (MVS), a multi-service provider in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois;
• Oneida Telephone Exchange, a triple play service provider operating in Oneida, Illinois and Rio, Illinois;
• Skitter TV, a national IPTV systems innovator; and
• South Dakota Networks (SDN), an enabler of IPTV for 19 telcos in South Dakota.

Among the 30 operators on SES’s 4K platform, three have already initiated commercial linear Ultra HD services in subscriber homes via SES’s end-to-end solution: Marquette-Adams Communications in Wisconsin, Highlands Cable Group in North Carolina, and, most recently, EPB Fiber Optics in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

SES’s all-in-one Ultra HD platform combines satellite distribution services, reception gear, and the world’s largest 4K Ultra HD channel line-up, featuring Fashion One 4K, Travelxp 4K, 4KUNIVERSE, NASA TV UHD, INSIGHT TV, UHD1, C4K360, Funbox UHD, Nature Relaxation 4K and SES’s UHD demonstration channel.

“The turnkey SES Ultra HD platform is home to some of the largest and smallest cable and IPTV providers in the region, who are leveraging the scalability and reliability of satellite to differentiate themselves in a competitive market with the ultimate television experience,” said Steve Corda, Vice President of Business Development at SES Video, SES’s global media business unit. “Momentum continues to build as SES accelerates the delivery and commercial availability of Ultra HD services throughout North America, and we expect more cable and IPTV providers to join the trio of operators who have already launched their commercial Ultra HD services using our platform.”

“Hotwire is well positioned to be the first to market with exciting new Ultra HD services later this year, as a result of our Ultra HD trials with SES,” said Jonathan Bullock, Vice President of Corporate Development and Government at Hotwire Communications. “The SES Ultra HD platform is easy and fast to deploy on our all-fiber network, allowing us to provide the best 4K channel line-up virtually overnight.”

“SES’s Ultra HD solution is tailor-made to meet our subscribers’ demand for the best television experience available and our strong desire to be among the first to market with the world’s leading 4K offering,” said Michael Agostinelli, CEO at Skitter. “Skitter now has a clear competitive advantage as we make an exciting leap toward a commercial launch of Ultra HD services in our customers’ homes.”

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About SES

SES is the world-leading satellite operator and the first to deliver a differentiated and scalable GEO-MEO offering worldwide, with more than 50 satellites in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) and 12 in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). SES focuses on value-added, end-to-end solutions in two key business units; SES Video and SES Networks. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators, governments and institutions. SES’s portfolio includes the ASTRA satellite system, which has the largest Direct-to-Home (DTH) television reach in Europe, O3b Networks, a global managed data communications service provider, and MX1, a leading media service provider that offers a full suite of innovative digital video and media services. SES is listed on the Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange (Euronext Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG). Further information available at: www.ses.com

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Contact information

SES
Markus Payer
Corporate Communications and Global PR
Tel. +352 710 725 500
Markus.Payer@ses.com