SES S.A. announced today that Viasat will use SES capacity to broadcast its first Ultra HD (High Definition) channel.
The channel, called Viasat Ultra HD, will be launched after the summer in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland via SES-5 at 5 degreesEast.
Viasat customers equipped with Viasat’s new Ultra HD set top box (to be launched during the summer) and an Ultra HD screen will experience sports with more detail and life-like movements. The world’s first Ultra HD sports channel via satellite will broadcast a number of sport events, including selected live Champions League matches, and other content from MTG’s portfolio, specially produced in UltraHD.
With the addition of Viasat Ultra HD, SES will broadcast a total of 24 Ultra HD channels (including test channels and regional versions), representing 46% of all channels broadcast in this format via satellite worldwide. SES carries the world’s largest HD line-up with over 2,300HD channels, transmitting 27% of all HD/Ultra HD satellite channels worldwide – by far more than any other satellite operator.
“Viasat has been relying on SES services to broadcast its approximately 230 channels for more than 20 years,” said Ferdinand Kayser,Chief Commercial Officer at SES. “As sports have always been predicted to be a key driver for Ultra HD, we are very pleased to take this important step together with Viasat to drive the next generation viewing experience forward. With more and more Ultra HD channels expected in the future, satellite will remain the optimal infrastructure to deliver this new and substantially improved viewing experience.”
