SES ASTRA Acquires 75.2% Stake In DPC (Digital Playout Center) From Premiere
ASTRA to expand DPC service offering with the launch of Germany's first and only "open" Pay-TV platform
(EMAILWIRE.COM, June 28, 2004 ) Betzdorf, Munich -- SES ASTRA, an SES GLOBAL company (Euronext Paris, Luxembourg and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges: SESG) has entered into a binding agreement to acquire a 75.2% stake in DPC (Digital Playout Center) from German Pay-TV operator Premiere. The transaction, for a consideration of EUR 41.2 million, is subject to approval by competition authorities.
DPC (Digital Playout Center) operates a teleport facility in Munich and offers services comprising play-out, multiplexing, encryption and satellite uplinks to private as well as public broadcasters. Under SES ASTRA's helmsmanship, DPC will diversify its service offering by launching Germany's first and only "open" Pay-TV platform using Premiere compatible digital set top boxes.
Dr. Georg Kofler, President and CEO of Premiere, explains: "SES ASTRA and Premiere have concluded an agreement which will allow DPC to offer a wide range of services on a neutral basis. We are convinced that DPC under SES ASTRA Management will be in an ideal position to grow its business and to establish itself as the leading value-added service provider in the fast developing digital market."
Ferdinand Kayser, President and CEO of SES ASTRA, concurs: "With this transaction, SES ASTRA is extending its position in the value chain and broadening the scope of its service portfolio with the provision of encryption services. DPC will offer its state-of-the-art services to customers on a non-discriminatory and neutral basis. We are convinced that the creation of the ASTRA/DPC "open" platform corresponds to a true market demand. Using Premiere compatible set top boxes, of which several dozen models from different manufacturers are readily available in the marketplace, German households wanting to enhance their TV line-up beyond the host of free-to-air channels on ASTRA can subscribe to the Pay-TV offer of their choice. DPC's extended service offering will ultimately enhance freedom of choice in the interest of the consumers and provide another overall boost to ASTRA DTH reception. It will also significantly speed up the uptake of digital and support the German government's proclaimed policy of switching off analogue broadcasts by 2010."
DPC, under its new ownership, will retain its corporate identity, name, Munich premises and headquarters, as well as the existing Management and staff. The company is being acquired debt-free and its results, which generated a turnover of EUR 31.5 million in 2003, will be fully consolidated into the accounts of SES
About Premiere
Premiere is the leading pay-TV operator in Germany and Austria. Currently, a total of some eight million viewers in more than 2.9 million subscriber households receive Germany's finest television. Premiere offers its subscribers varied and exclusive viewing on 28 TV channels with digital-quality sound and pictures. 300 TV film-premieres each year, 4,000 hours of live sport, 16 theme channels for every taste. Convenience and innovation are the key features of the Premiere offering, with PREMIERE DIREKT showing films on demand at any time of the day or night. Conference link-ups during football broadcasts and a range of camera perspectives that
can be selected at will during Formula One races take advantage of the superior facilities offered by digital television. Under the independent "BLUE MOVIE" brand, Premiere provides a telemedia service for full-scale adult entertainment on demand that can be operated via the television set.
About DPC
DPC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Premiere subscription TV station, operates one of the most modern European broadcasting centres in Unterfoehring near Munich. From there, the company currently transmits more than 100 analogue and digital television and radio programmes as well as data services per uplink to the satellite. In addition, DPC also offers a comprehensive range of services concerning all aspects of broadcasting. Such services include signal processing based on the mpeg2 standard, the playout of applications and software downloads, and many other services as well. In addition to Premiere, other TV stations also share the broadcasting facility including ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, Home Shopping Europe (HSE), German sport television DSF, Tele 5 and many more.
About SES ASTRA www.ses-astra.com
The ASTRA Satellite System is Europe's leading Direct-to-Home satellite system, delivering services to more than 94 million Direct-to-Home and cable households. The ASTRA satellite fleet currently comprises 13 satellites, transmitting in excess of 1100 analogue and digital television and radio channels as well as ultimedia and Internet services. ASTRA's two prime orbital positions for DTH (Direct-To-Home) services are 19.2° East and 28.2° East. Professional services like Direct-to-Cable (DTC), Satellite Newsgathering (SNG) and Occasional Use are offered from the orbital positions of 23.5°/24.2° East and 5.2° East.
SES ASTRA is an SES GLOBAL company (Euronext Paris, Luxembourg and Frankfurt stock exchanges: SESG). SES GLOBAL owns two market-leading satellite operators, SES ASTRA in Europe, and SES AMERICOM in the US. The Company also holds strategic participations in AsiaSat in Asia, Star One and Nahuelsat in Latin America, and NSAB in Europe. Via its WORLDSAT subsidiary it provides unparalleled connections to the premier regional satellite fleets of these SES LOBAL partners. Americom Government Services provides network solutions and bandwidth to the US government and its contractors. SES GLOBAL can provide outstanding satellite communications solutions via a fleet of 40 satellites across the globe. In addition, SES GLOBAL is a shareholder in ORBCOMM, a provider of wireless data communications services through a low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite network, and in satellite technology companies Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. and ND Satcom. Last but not least, SES GLOBAL is a founding shareholder in SATLYNX, a Luxembourg based joint venture with Gilat and Alcatel Space, which has created an unrivalled portfolio of reliable and cost-efficient two-way satellite broadband service solutions to enterprises/corporates, small office/home office (SOHO) users and local communities all over Europe. Additional info on SES GLOBAL at: www.ses-global.com
ASTRA's parent company SES GLOBAL.
For further information please contact:
Yves Feltes
Press Relations SES ASTRA
Tel 352 710 725 311
Yves.Feltes@ses-astra.com
www.ses-astra.com
Dirk Heerdegen
Press Relations Premiere
Tel: 49 89 99 58 63 57
Dirk.Heerdegen@premiereworld.de
DPC (Digital Playout Center) operates a teleport facility in Munich and offers services comprising play-out, multiplexing, encryption and satellite uplinks to private as well as public broadcasters. Under SES ASTRA's helmsmanship, DPC will diversify its service offering by launching Germany's first and only "open" Pay-TV platform using Premiere compatible digital set top boxes.
Dr. Georg Kofler, President and CEO of Premiere, explains: "SES ASTRA and Premiere have concluded an agreement which will allow DPC to offer a wide range of services on a neutral basis. We are convinced that DPC under SES ASTRA Management will be in an ideal position to grow its business and to establish itself as the leading value-added service provider in the fast developing digital market."
Ferdinand Kayser, President and CEO of SES ASTRA, concurs: "With this transaction, SES ASTRA is extending its position in the value chain and broadening the scope of its service portfolio with the provision of encryption services. DPC will offer its state-of-the-art services to customers on a non-discriminatory and neutral basis. We are convinced that the creation of the ASTRA/DPC "open" platform corresponds to a true market demand. Using Premiere compatible set top boxes, of which several dozen models from different manufacturers are readily available in the marketplace, German households wanting to enhance their TV line-up beyond the host of free-to-air channels on ASTRA can subscribe to the Pay-TV offer of their choice. DPC's extended service offering will ultimately enhance freedom of choice in the interest of the consumers and provide another overall boost to ASTRA DTH reception. It will also significantly speed up the uptake of digital and support the German government's proclaimed policy of switching off analogue broadcasts by 2010."
DPC, under its new ownership, will retain its corporate identity, name, Munich premises and headquarters, as well as the existing Management and staff. The company is being acquired debt-free and its results, which generated a turnover of EUR 31.5 million in 2003, will be fully consolidated into the accounts of SES
About Premiere
Premiere is the leading pay-TV operator in Germany and Austria. Currently, a total of some eight million viewers in more than 2.9 million subscriber households receive Germany's finest television. Premiere offers its subscribers varied and exclusive viewing on 28 TV channels with digital-quality sound and pictures. 300 TV film-premieres each year, 4,000 hours of live sport, 16 theme channels for every taste. Convenience and innovation are the key features of the Premiere offering, with PREMIERE DIREKT showing films on demand at any time of the day or night. Conference link-ups during football broadcasts and a range of camera perspectives that
can be selected at will during Formula One races take advantage of the superior facilities offered by digital television. Under the independent "BLUE MOVIE" brand, Premiere provides a telemedia service for full-scale adult entertainment on demand that can be operated via the television set.
About DPC
DPC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Premiere subscription TV station, operates one of the most modern European broadcasting centres in Unterfoehring near Munich. From there, the company currently transmits more than 100 analogue and digital television and radio programmes as well as data services per uplink to the satellite. In addition, DPC also offers a comprehensive range of services concerning all aspects of broadcasting. Such services include signal processing based on the mpeg2 standard, the playout of applications and software downloads, and many other services as well. In addition to Premiere, other TV stations also share the broadcasting facility including ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, Home Shopping Europe (HSE), German sport television DSF, Tele 5 and many more.
About SES ASTRA www.ses-astra.com
The ASTRA Satellite System is Europe's leading Direct-to-Home satellite system, delivering services to more than 94 million Direct-to-Home and cable households. The ASTRA satellite fleet currently comprises 13 satellites, transmitting in excess of 1100 analogue and digital television and radio channels as well as ultimedia and Internet services. ASTRA's two prime orbital positions for DTH (Direct-To-Home) services are 19.2° East and 28.2° East. Professional services like Direct-to-Cable (DTC), Satellite Newsgathering (SNG) and Occasional Use are offered from the orbital positions of 23.5°/24.2° East and 5.2° East.
SES ASTRA is an SES GLOBAL company (Euronext Paris, Luxembourg and Frankfurt stock exchanges: SESG). SES GLOBAL owns two market-leading satellite operators, SES ASTRA in Europe, and SES AMERICOM in the US. The Company also holds strategic participations in AsiaSat in Asia, Star One and Nahuelsat in Latin America, and NSAB in Europe. Via its WORLDSAT subsidiary it provides unparalleled connections to the premier regional satellite fleets of these SES LOBAL partners. Americom Government Services provides network solutions and bandwidth to the US government and its contractors. SES GLOBAL can provide outstanding satellite communications solutions via a fleet of 40 satellites across the globe. In addition, SES GLOBAL is a shareholder in ORBCOMM, a provider of wireless data communications services through a low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite network, and in satellite technology companies Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. and ND Satcom. Last but not least, SES GLOBAL is a founding shareholder in SATLYNX, a Luxembourg based joint venture with Gilat and Alcatel Space, which has created an unrivalled portfolio of reliable and cost-efficient two-way satellite broadband service solutions to enterprises/corporates, small office/home office (SOHO) users and local communities all over Europe. Additional info on SES GLOBAL at: www.ses-global.com
ASTRA's parent company SES GLOBAL.
For further information please contact:
Yves Feltes
Press Relations SES ASTRA
Tel 352 710 725 311
Yves.Feltes@ses-astra.com
www.ses-astra.com
Dirk Heerdegen
Press Relations Premiere
Tel: 49 89 99 58 63 57
Dirk.Heerdegen@premiereworld.de
Contact Information:
SES ASTRA
Joseph Nchor
Tel:
Email us
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SES ASTRA
Joseph Nchor
Tel:
Email us
This is a press release. Press release distribution and press release services by EmailWire.Com: http://www.emailwire.com/us-press-release-distribution.php.
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