Yahsat and SES Astra start Middle East service

TV broadcasters in the region will soon have an additional player to choose from as YahLive, a partnership between Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) and European satellite operator SES Astra, an SES company, will offer Direct-to-Home (DTH) capacity and services to more than two dozen countries in the Middle East, North Africa and South-West Asia region.

The UAE and other countries in the region currently have three major service providers including Thurayya, Arabsat and Nilesat. Considering the expected growth in TV broadcasting and channels in the region, many more players are entering the fray.

"We are very pleased to announce this strategic partnership with one of the world's leading satellite broadcasting operators. SES Astra's significant experience in this sector will fast-track our ability to create a new TV hotspot over the Middle East and North Africa [Mena] region," said Jassem Al Zaabi, Yahsat's Chief Executive Officer. "This alliance also confirms the satellite industry's conviction that Yahsat is the partner of choice in the region. As a new player in the broadcasting sector, we believe this partnership will enable Yahsat to make a very strong entry into the market." Yahsat is a UAE-based satellite communications company providing hybrid services to commercial and governmental clients in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and South-West Asia. It is owned by Mubadala Development Company, an investment firm that establishes new companies and acquires strategic holdings in existing companies, either in the UAE or abroad.

"Creating a company with Yahsat opens a very important and dynamic new market for us, where we can leverage our core DTH competences and join forces with a strong player in the region," said Ferdinand Kayser, Chief Executive Officer of SES Astra.

SES Astra is a DTH satellite system in Europe with a satellite fleet comprising 14 Astra and two Sirius satellites. The combined satellite system delivers services to more than 122 million DTH and cable households and transmits nearly 2,500 analogue and digital television and radio channels.

"This partnership will establish a major business hub for SES Astra in the Middle East and will add a new dimension to the existing strong regional presence of SES through the satellite operator SES New Skies and the system integrator ND SatCom. The region is a market with significant growth potential as the fill rate of the Ku-band capacity is estimated at 90 per cent, while demand is expected to grow faster than supply. We are very pleased to work with Yahsat to tap these markets and to contribute our knowledge in deploying satellite capacity as well as a large range of specialised ground and broadcasting services," said Kayser.

YahLive will offer DTH satellite services to free-to-air and pay-TV broadcasters in this region. 

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