SES (Euronext Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) today announced the successful delivery of iN DEMAND and cable’s first 4K live Pay-Per-View (PPV) sports event broadcast, Bellator NYC: Sonnen vs Silva Mixed Martial Arts, over the SES Ultra HD distribution platform.
On June 24, bouts from the action-packed blockbuster event were transmitted live from New York’s Madison Square Garden to cable and IPTV subscribers in select markets on PPV, offering them a compelling 4K experience. The broadcast also marked a milestone in network trials for MVPDs (Multichannel Video Programming Distributors) nationwide.
“Live sports offer up some of the most immersive Ultra HD experiences on television today, and there’s no better way to deliver high quality, live 4K programming to subscriber homes than by satellite,” explained Steve Corda, Vice President of Business Development in North America for SES Video. “The long-term, collaborative relationship between SES and iN DEMAND continues to innovate and create new opportunities for MVPDs and their audiences throughout North America and beyond. We greatly appreciate iN DEMAND for entrusting SES and our Ultra HD platform to distribute this first-ever 4K live sporting event to Pay TV homes and systems in the US.”
“The SES Ultra HD platform has enabled iN DEMAND to take our immersive PPV sports offerings to a whole new level of stunning, realistic sports action television,” said John Schultz, Vice President of Broadcast Operations at iN DEMAND. “The Bellator-produced MMA event in 4K was a first step in bringing the latest generation of video to our affiliates.”
More than 25 MVPDs, with a combined audience of nearly 10 million subscribers, are testing SES’s all-in-one Ultra HD solution, which packages the world’s largest 4K Ultra HD channel line-up, satellite distribution services, and reception equipment. Programming on the SES Ultra HD line-up features ten 4K Ultra HD channels, including Fashion One 4K, Travelxp 4K, 4KUNIVERSE, NASA TV UHD, INSIGHT TV, UHD1, C4K360, Funbox UHD, Nature Relaxation 4K as well as SES’s UHD demonstration channel. These channels are hosted on a trio of SES satellites at the centre of the orbital arc (SES-1, SES-3, AMC-18), which cover 100% of the cable head-ends in the US.
