The 2010 sports calendar has been one of the busiest and most exciting for AsiaSat. With its region-wide coverage and ubiquitous access to all leading free-to-air TV broadcasters and pay-TV platforms in Asia Pacific, the AsiaSat fleet has been widely used by video service providers and broadcasters for occasional use transmissions of live international sports events.

These top quality sports events included the Winter Olympic Games, the Indian Premier League, FIFA World Cup, BWF Badminton World Championships and the XIX Commonwealth Games which were held on 3 – 14 October in New Delhi and televised for the first time in HD.

From 12 – 27 November, AsiaSat's satellites are being used to telecast the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. Back in 1990 when China hosted the 11th Asian Games in Beijing, AsiaSat provided capacity on the company's first satellite AsiaSat 1, for telecasting China's first large-scale international sports event across the region.

The Asian Games are the second largest sports event in the world held every four years for athletes from all over Asia. This year over 10,000 athletes and 4,200 team officials from 45 countries and regions joined the Games.

This year’s CASBAA Convention themed ‘Unlock Your Networks’ was held in Hong Kong on 25 – 28 October. The Convention was a success and attracted over 1,000 delegates, speakers, sponsors and media from around the world.

As CASBAA’s patron member, AsiaSat actively supported the Convention and again took part as a Juice Bar sponsor, serving participants refreshing fruit juice at its booth during the conference on 26 – 27 October. At its booth, AsiaSat also showcased an exciting array of HD and SD programming from its broadcast customers.

AsiaSat executives were also invited to join two panel sessions on the issues and developments that impacted the pay-TV industry over the past year. On 26 October, Peter Jackson, AsiaSat’s Executive Chairman, hosted a ‘Regulatory Updates’ briefing session on the regulatory issues related to the convergence of telecoms, Internet and TV broadcasting.

On 27 October at a panel discussion on ‘Satellite Television: Up in the Air’, William Wade, Chief Executive Officer of AsiaSat, shared his views on the growth of DTH and pay TV services, and the trends of content and regulatory developments in Asia, while he also raised his concerns over the impact of terrestrial interferences on satellite C-band frequencies in the region.

At the APSCC 2010 Satellite Conference and Exhibition held on 5 – 7 November in Tokyo, AsiaSat executives were invited to take part in two panel sessions.

During the Satellite Operators CEO Roundtable session, William Wade, Chief Executive Officer of AsiaSat, exchanged his views with other industry players on the outlook, opportunities and challenges facing the satellite industry, and offered insights on the emergence of technological advances that will drive industry growth.

Dr. Ya Chiu, General Manager, Operations of AsiaSat was invited to host a session on Ground Systems and Equipment that generated active discussion among panellists on the growth opportunities for the ground segment providers and the technical requirements that would drive business growth.

The conference was attended by over 400 delegates from sectors including service providers in the satellite communications industry, government regulators, users and risk management.

At the WBU-ISOG Forum held on 2 – 3 November in Tunis, Sabrina Cubbon, General Manager, Marketing of AsiaSat, joined the Satellite Operators panel discussion in which operators updated participants on new services and facilities, and gave their views on the satellite industry as a whole and the issues facing it. During her presentation, Mrs. Cubbon introduced to the delegates AsiaSat’s new satellite services and expanding service offerings including AsiaSat 7, new DVB-S2 platforms, DTH and occasional services.

The annual China User Conference, co-hosted by CITICSat and AsiaSat, was held in Hangzhou, China on 19 October. Themed 'Satellite Communications Development under Triple Network Convergence', the conference was an interactive platform for users from various parts of Mainland China who shared and explored new opportunities and applications amid the convergence of telecom, broadcast and Internet in China.

Guest speakers from government, technology and solutions providers were invited to examine the future growth and related policies under network convergence. Presentations from AsiaSat and users highlighted satellite communications topics including service updates, use of satellite for emergency communications, satellite operation and network management.

AsiaSat is committed to interaction and participation within the satellite broadcasting and communications industry. You can meet with AsiaSat executives at the following events:

• PTC 2011, 16 – 19  January, Honolulu
• Satellite 2011, 14 – 17 February, Washington D.C.
• CASBAA Satellite Industry Forum, 20 June, Singapore
• CommunicAsia/BroadcastAsia 2011, 21 – 24 June, Singapore

Green initiatives have been part of AsiaSat's corporate culture. In October, over 50 staff and their family members volunteered in spending half of a day on Hong Kong’s Shek O beach in support of the Ocean Conservancy coastal cleanup programme to help protect the ocean.

The coastal cleanup is part of a worldwide movement that reduces ocean pollution. AsiaSat staff are proud to contribute to protect the environment and to arouse the awareness of marine protection.

On 28 September, AsiaSat again participated in the annual Dress Special Day organised by the Community Chest in Hong Kong. AsiaSat staff as well as the Company contributed funds to support the underprivileged in Hong Kong. Funds raised were allocated to social welfare agencies supported by the Chest.

A group of 60 students from the Electronic and Information Engineering Department of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University visited AsiaSat Tai Po Earth Station in October.

The visit served as an outside classroom learning opportunity to enhance the students’ understanding of satellite communications systems. During the visit, students had the opportunity to understand more about satellite operations through presentations and tours of the AsiaSat earth station and satellite control facilities.