BBC World News has extended its relationship with SES in a deal that will allow TV viewers across Western Europe to continue to watch the HD free-to-air channel via SES’s Astra satellite at 19.2° East.
The total HD reach at Astra 19.2° East has increased every year, SES notes, rising from 65m homes at year end 2015 to 88m by year end 2019, a 34% growth in five years. The BBC World News channel, which has been available in HD through SES since 2015, is distributed via a multiplex operated and uplinked by SES from its Luxembourg headquarters.
Chris Davies, executive vice president of marketing and distribution for BBC Global News, said: “This deal with SES is really important as it allows us to reliably reach widespread audiences across Western Europe. Amidst one of the biggest news stories of this generation, we’re seeing unprecedented demand for quality journalism. Since the beginning of the year, we’ve taken BBC World News from being available in 465m homes worldwide to over half a billion homes, to provide a growing audience with trusted, accurate and impartial news.”
Ferdinand Kayser, CEO at SES Video, added: “Since the COVID-19 health crisis started, we have heard from our customers that demand for linear TV, especially news programmes, is on the rise and that reliable news producers such as the BBC are now more critical in providing accurate news and information to millions of viewers. We’re pleased to continue working with the BBC and to help bring high-quality HD news to 88m European households at a time when they need it most.”
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