| AsiaSat's DTH JV Enters Commercial Service |
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DishHD, AsiaSat's new Direct-to-Home (DTH) joint venture company with Echostar, has commenced commercial service in June. Delivered in MPEG-4 format via AsiaSat 4's Ku-band Broadcast Satellite Service (BSS) beam, DishHD offers a premier package of more than 30 High Definition (HD) channels initially to the Taiwan market.
With the most diverse HD content in Taiwan, DishHD delivers an exciting range of regional and international programming, encompassing all genres, from sports, movies, entertainment, news, music, dramas, documentary, to lifestyle, fashion, food, science, cartoon and children programming.
Utilising the latest satellite broadcasting technology, this new satellite television service distributes broadcast signals directly to consumer homes. By using a small satellite antenna and a digital set-top box, viewers can enjoy exceptional picture resolution in pristine HD 1080 and crystal clear Dolby Digital 5.1 channel sound. The service is expected to expand to include more than 50 HD channels by this year end.
DishHD’s DTH services are uplinked from AsiaSat Tai Po Earth Station in Hong Kong where the traffic of the services and AsiaSat’s satellite fleet is monitored around the clock.
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DishHD’s small receive antenna and HD set-top box
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| VTC Launches New DTH Bouquet on AsiaSat 5 |
Vietnam Multimedia Corporation (VTC) has begun delivering a new premium DTH bouquet of some 90 television channels on AsiaSat's latest satellite AsiaSat 5.
This new DTH service offers a compelling mix of HD and SD programming content including more than 20 HD channels, VTC’s local channels, and many other popular local language and international channels, available in various subscription packages to address the diverse needs and interests of television viewers in Vietnam.
VTC’s newest DTH service is distributed via AsiaSat 5’s new Ku-band Indochina spot beam which offers optimal DTH coverage over Vietnam and neighbouring countries in the Indochina region. VTC will continue to expand its service to include up to 30 HD and 70 SD channels on its AsiaSat 5 DTH platform.
VTC, under the Ministry of Information and Communications of Vietnam, is a large state-owned multimedia corporation in Vietnam.
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| New Channels Join AsiaSat 3S C-band MCPC Platform |
Two new free to air television channels, CSTV and Blue Ocean Network (BON TV), have joined the AsiaSat 3S MCPC platform operated by AsiaSat from its Tai Po Earth Station in Hong Kong.
From the Tai Po earth station, AsiaSat offers one-stop satellite transmission solution to broadcasters including space segment, fibre links, signal turnaround and uplink services.
CSTV is a new Chinese television channel that offers information, documentary, entertainment, movies and drama programming in Teochew and Mandarin languages. Headquartered in Hong Kong, the channel brings to viewers some success stories of Chinese entrepreneurs, as well as programming that promotes the unique ethnics and culture of Chinese businesses.
BON TV is a 24-hour English-language news and entertainment television network. It offers a comprehensive mix of programming from China, ranging from modern art to politics, from cuisine to technology.
The other television services currently delivered on this platform include B4U’s movies and music channels, Chinese channels Sun TV and CHTV, and the English-language news channel NHK WORLD TV.
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AsiaSat operates MCPC platforms from its Tai Po Earth Station in Hong Kong
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AsiaSat 5 Delivers Live HD Feeds of 2010 World Cup  |
AsiaSat 5 is used by Eurovision to distribute live HD and SD feeds of this year's FIFA World Cup, staged in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July.
Eurovision delivers the signals from the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Johannesburg via its dedicated fibre network to AsiaSat's Tai Po Earth Station in Hong Kong for uplinking to AsiaSat 5. Asian broadcasters with broadcast rights to this mega sporting event access the live coverage of the matches from AsiaSat 5 and then redistribute the television signals through their television networks to billions of football fans across the Asia-Pacific region.
Eurovision is the premier distributor of sports and news content for the world’s top broadcast and media platforms, bringing top quality sports events such as the Olympics, UEFA Champions League and Motor Sports to the broadcasting community.
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TVB PAY VISION Expands MCPC Platform Services on AsiaSat 3S  |
TVB PAY VISION Ltd. signed a new lease for additional C-band capacity on AsiaSat 3S to expand its MCPC (Multiple Channels per Carrier) platform services offered to its customers. Under the brand name of Galaxy Teleport, TVB PAY VISION provides customised solutions in broadcasting, video transmission, playout service, uplink and downlink service through its state-of-the-art teleport facilities in Hong Kong. Customers on the MCPC platforms operated by Galaxy Teleport on AsiaSat 3S include Celestial Movies, CETV, Macau Lotus TV, TVB 8, TVB Xing He and Xinya Azio Channel.
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AsiaSat Joins WWF HK’s Corporate Membership Programme  |
AsiaSat has committed to support WWF Hong Kong’s conservation efforts by taking part in WWF Corporate Membership Programme. Participating companies of the programme are working with WWF in the delivery of their corporate social responsibilities agendas, employee engagement and community initiatives.
WWF is the world’s leading conservation organisation with offices in more than 100 countries. The funds of the programme will support WWF’s environmental education and conservation work.
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| AsiaSat Holds AGM in May |
AsiaSat’s holding company, Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 25 May. All resolutions, as set out in the Notice of AGM, were duly passed, including the approval of a final dividend of 32 HK cents per share to shareholders. AsiaSat paid a total dividend of 40 HK cents per share for the year ended 31 December 2009.
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SpeedCast Opens New Offices in Dubai and Beijing  |
SpeedCast, AsiaSat’s wholly-owned subsidiary, has opened new offices in Dubai, UAE and Beijing, China.
These new offices will enable SpeedCast to position itself to benefit from the strong growth prospects of the two markets, and to further expand on its level of service and support to its customers around the world in these regions.
Founded in 1999, SpeedCast has now become a leading global network and satellite telecommunications service provider offering high-quality managed networks services and value added services in over 35 countries throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa. SpeedCast became a wholly-owned subsidiary of AsiaSat in November 2007. Headquartered in Hong Kong, SpeedCast also has points of presence in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore and Thailand.
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AsiaSat Exhibits at BroadcastAsia 2010
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AsiaSat joined the other 600 exhibiting companies from 40 countries at BroadcastAsia 2010, one of the largest and most popular regional broadcasting and media exhibitions in Asia.
Over 10,000 trade visitors from around the world attended the exhibition. Held on 15 to 18 June in Singapore, the event provided an interactive platform where AsiaSat showcased its comprehensive satellite fleet and service offerings, and met its customers, prospective satellite users and service partners to understand their present and future satellite service requirements. AsiaSat also invited its broadcast users to demonstrate their latest range of television programming, including both HD and SD services during the 4-day exhibition.
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AsiaSat staff meeting visitors at BroadcastAsia 2010
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| AsiaSat @ CASBAA Singapore Satellite Industry Forum 2010 |
AsiaSat has again supported Singapore Satellite Industry Forum, one of the major regional meetings organised by Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) on 14 June in Singapore to promote development of the Asian satellite market.
AsiaSat’s executives were invited to speak at two panel sessions where they shared with over 250 delegates their insights on topics such as regulatory, development and growth strategies of the satellite market in Asia. Speaking at the Regulatory session, Roger Tong, General Manager Engineering of AsiaSat expressed his views and concerns over regulatory issues in satellite spectrum management, and urged operators to work responsibly with their administrations to ensure discipline in the use of scarce spectrum resources.
At the Satellite Operator Wrap-up session, Peter Jackson, CEO of AsiaSat shared his insights on the challenges and prospects of the satellite market, and opinions towards the trends of consolidation, demand drivers and strategies for the satellite industry in the long term. AsiaSat was also a sponsor of the Forum.
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Roger Tong, General Manager, Engineering of AsiaSat (second from left)
speaking at the panel discussion
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| AsiaSat Co-hosts Training Programme in Nanjing |
AsiaSat, CITICSat and Nanjing Institute of Communications Engineering co-hosted a training programme for communications engineers from 23 May to 4 June in Nanjing.
During the 13-day intensive programme, 34 representatives from communications, radio and television entities in Mainland China received comprehensive training on the theoretical, practical and operational aspects of satellite communications, while at the same time AsiaSat also had the opportunity to further understand the needs of the satellite users and as a result to improve on its network management, operational and customer services to users.
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Participants of the training programme in Nanjing
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| AsiaSat Supports Industry Seminar and Workshop |
The IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) Hong Kong Seminar on Satellite Operations and Communications was held on 28 May in Hong Kong.
During the seminar, AsiaSat gave presentations on the architecture of the spacecraft subsystems, ground station and satellite operation topics including link budget calculation and orbital analysis. The seminar gave the participants a broad understanding of satellite communications from space to ground, and on how stable and reliable service could be achieved through successful spacecraft design and satellite operation.
IET Hong Kong is the largest local branch of the IET with more than 5,800 members.
A Regional Workshop on Modern Transmitter Technologies, organised by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), was held on 17 to 20 May in Macau. Some 30 senior transmission engineers from ABU member broadcasters attended the workshop. AsiaSat was invited to host two satellite technologies sessions to share with the participants its experiences in designing satellite network and television broadcast platforms. During the workshop, AsiaSat also introduced to the participants the latest satellite communications technologies and services, and the various satellite applications for broadcasting and Internet services.
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| AsiaSat Speaks at Industry Events |
CommunicAsia 2010 Summit was held in Singapore on 15 to 18 June. At the Satellite Communications session of the Summit, Peter Jackson, CEO of AsiaSat gave a Keynote Address on 'The State of Satellite Nation' where he discussed about the use of geostationary satellites in the provision of broadcasting, VSAT and mobile services, the unique values of satellite as opposed to point to point service of terrestrial networks, and his vision on the future of satellite services.
Mr. Jackson also took part in a panel discussion on ‘The Asian Broadcasting and DTH Scene: Trends and Tribulations’. During the discussion, Mr. Jackson shared his views on some content acquisition and piracy issues in some Asian markets, and the future development of DTH service including HD and 3D content.
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Peter Jackson, CEO of AsiaSat giving his presentation at CommunicAsia 2010 Summit
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Next Generation Telecommunication Wholesale Asia Conference, organised by IQPC, was held on 18 to 20 May in Singapore. Peter Jackson was invited to give a presentation on the role of satellite in expanding infrastructure, connectivity and access in Asia. During the presentation, Mr. Jackson introduced to delegates the evolution of terrestrial and satellite networks in supporting ICT infrastructure in Asia, and the unique benefits of satellite in enabling instant access to the broadcast market and for establishing immediate links for Internet and mobile backhaul services.
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| Meet AsiaSat @ Upcoming Events |
AsiaSat is committed to interaction and participation within the satellite broadcasting and communications industry. You can meet with AsiaSat executives at the following events:
• World Satellite Business Week, 6 - 10 September, Paris
• IBC 2010, 9 -14 September, Amsterdam
• APSCC 2010 Satellite Conference & Exhibition, 5 - 7 October, Tokyo
• CASBAA Convention 2010, 25 - 28 October, Hong Kong
• PTC 2011, 16 - 19 January, Honolulu
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