Eutelsat (Euronext Paris: ETL), one of the world's leading satellite operators, international content producer, distributor and channel operator Blue Ant Media, and iKO Media Group, a global end-to-end service provider for broadcasters and content owners, have joined forces to distribute two HD channels, ZooMoo and Love Nature HD, as well as Love Nature 4K (Ultra HD), across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
ZooMoo is a children’s channel with over 500 hours of original content. ZooMoo offers spectacular wildlife footage, puppetry, animation and narration and creates a unique learning experience for preschool viewers. Love Nature brings wildlife and nature fans of all ages an extensive line-up of in-house natural history programming, with much of the content produced in 4K.
Blue Ant Media and iKO Media Group are leveraging capacity on two Eutelsat satellites to bring the three channels to a broader audience base. The ZooMoo and Love Nature HD channels have chosen the EUTELSAT 9B satellite’s high-power footprint to expand their audiences in Europe. Love Nature 4K is extending its reach with Eutelsat’s popular HOTBIRD neighbourhood, a growing hub for Ultra HD.
Michel Azibert, Chief Commercial and Development Officer at Eutelsat, said: “We are delighted to have gained Blue Ant Media and iKO Media Group’s trust as they extend their reach and seek to bring the highest image quality to viewers across diverse markets. This agreement highlights the importance of satellite to support the rollout of HD and UHD and enhance the television-viewing experience around the globe.”
Shlomi Izkovitz, iKO’s Co-founder, said: “We are very excited about this long-term strategic partnership with Blue Ant Media. Being able to distribute content over HOTBIRD and EUTELSAT 9B, the most suitable and effective solution available in today’s market, was a determining factor in this collaboration. We are very excited and look forward to an extremely fruitful partnership over the coming years.”
Ward Platt, CEO, Global Networks, Blue Ant Media, said: “iKO Media Group’s services via Eutelsat’s satellites is the perfect fit for us as we work to bring Love Nature 4K and ZooMoo’s engaging, original programming to passionate wildlife and nature fans of all ages across the European market.”