Intelsat Signs Two Major Broadcast Managed Services Deals in Latin America
Intelsat, operator of one of the world’s largest integrated satellite and terrestrial networks and leading provider of in-flight connectivity (IFC), has signed agreements with two of the biggest names in broadcasting in Latin America, MVS Television (Mexico) and Caracol Television (Colombia) to manage broadcast distribution services.
“Intelsat is seeing increased interest in our managed media services – terrestrial solutions such as IntelsatOne Fiber, IntelsatOne IP, uplink, downlink, and teleport services – throughout LATAM thanks to our recent investments in infrastructure in the region and our unique ability to reliably distribute high-quality programming to locations across the globe,” said Richard Kohlweg, Intelsat’s managing sales director, LATAM Media. “These agreements show our commitment as a trusted advisor to providing customers with the world-class solutions they need.”
Under the agreement with MVS Television, the company will send content to several of Intelsat’s Points of Presence (PoPs) where it enters the global media network for distribution. Intelsat then sends content through the IntelsatOne Fiber network to a teleport facility in Atlanta. The content is then uplinked to a video multiplexer platform on Intelsat 21 (IS-21) for distribution. In addition, disaster recovery uplink services are included in the network.
“MVS is reinforcing our commitment to cutting-edge technological solutions for enhanced efficiency and adaptability in an ever-evolving market. This collaboration boosts our efficiency in distributing our TV channels across the American continent, ensuring excellence in our service through the high quality and availability of Intelsat services,” said Nancy Hernandez, MVS’s director of engineering.
Caracol Television, a leading Colombian broadcaster, wanted to expand its Spanish programming’s audience in Latin America and the USA. Intelsat offered a solution using space capacity for Latin America and a managed service for the USA distribution.
Intelsat 21 (IS-21) is used to distribute Caracol’s national broadcast network in Colombia as well as for pan-regional distribution into the rest of Latin America. IS-21 is one of the premier cable neighborhoods providing services to the Americas. In Latin America alone, the neighborhood reaches over 46 million cable headends and carries the top-rated channels in the region. To reach millions of viewers in the United States, Intelsat is downlinking Caracol’s content from IS-21 and will provide a managed service on its G-37 video multiplexer platform for distribution. G-37 reaches over 99% of cable subscribers in the United States.
“With Intelsat’s robust satellite infrastructure and extensive coverage, we can further expand our international footprint and deliver our compelling content to audiences across the Americas and beyond,” said Johanna Rueda, technical director at Caracol Televisión.