Broadcasters will now be able to stream their shows to millions of Arabsat viewers around the world after the organisation agreed to establish a satellite uplink-platform from twofour54Abu Dhabi.
The agreement will see Arab Satellite Telecommunication Organisation (Arabsat) and twofour54launch a new set of satellite TV channels on the Arabsat Badr-4 satellite.
twofour54 is already the Capital for content creators and home to a thriving community of more than 470 media companies, including a number of broadcasters.
Arabsat is the leading satellite services provider in the Arab world, providing more than 500 TV channels, 200 radio stations, pay-TV networks and HD channels to tens of millions of homes in more than 80 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
The agreement with Arabsat offers twofour54 partners and broadcasters across the region the ability to distribute content to a huge audience directly from the free zone.
Eng. Khalid Balkheyour, Arabsat President & CEO, said: “twofour54 is a remarkable community of content creators from across the world and from every part of the media industry. Arabsat is proud to expand its broadcasting partnership portfolio by launching our new bouquet on Arabsat Badr-4 satellite from there, enabling new premium capabilities and quality of service for our clients in MENA, as well as empowering twofour54’s clients to reach MENA, Europe and beyond. This all forms part of our development strategy for our Hotspot at 26º East.”
The satellite TV sector within the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) is undergoing rapid change and witnessing more and more demand for the latest satellite broadcasting services with advanced uplink technology and HD, 4K, and UHD resolution, which is one of the driving forces behind the decision of Arabsat and twofour54 to work together on strengthening the satellite broadcasting market for organizations from both MENA and outside the region.
H.E. Maryam Eid AlMheiri, CEO of Media Zone Authority – Abu Dhabi and twofour54, said: “The satellite uplink-platform at twofour54 is yet another example of the thriving media ecosystem that is being built in Abu Dhabi as well as the growing demand in the region for high-quality content.
“Content creation is at the heart of everything we do at twofour54 and we are delighted to be working with the largest satellite company in the region on a project that will also allow us to play an important role in its distribution as well.
“Arabsat has been serving the growing needs of the Arab world for more than 40 years and this service is yet another example of their commitment to the region.
“This uplink will provide great value to our existing partners as well as even more incentive to those looking to join our community in the future.”
One of the partners that has taken advantage of the opportunity is Quest Arabiya. George Baroudy, Head of Operations and Planning, said: “Having an uplink at twofour54 is fantastic news for our business. It will save us so much valuable time now it is on our doorstep.”
Arabsat will work with twofour54 on a number of projects to develop the teleport services, including a HDR platform which is the first in the UAE. twofour54 and Arabsat will also begin testing the HbbTV platform, which will place twofour54 in a unique position, providing state-of-art technology through collaboration with respected partners such as ArabSat.