Satellite television in the UK and Ireland is secured after Sky signed a contract extension with satellite operator SES.
SES will continue to deliver Sky UK’s channels in a mix of standard definition (SD), high definition (HD) and ultra-high definition (UHD) until 2027. These broadcast from the Astra 2E, F and G satellites at 28.2/28.5 degrees East.
The deal means Sky will have been a continuous customer of SES for nearly forty years. Sky launched its first analogue satellite service on the Astra 19.2 satellite in the late 1980s.
Sky uses its satellite capacity to carry both pay and free-to-air channels. Some of its space is sub-let to third party broadcasters, for example to facilitate HD channels on satellite.
But while satellite is still Sky’s main distribution channel, it has promised a Sky-by-internet service in the future. Currently, Sky’s streaming service Now TV offers a partial alternative for those unable to have a satellite dish.
The announcement follows confirmation that the BBC has also extended its agreement with SES to continue broadcasting via satellite.
SES’ Astra 2 satellites directly supply 12 million homes with satellite television in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
Steve Collar, CEO at SES commented of the deal, worth €90 million:
This is a significant, multi-transponder, multi-year renewal founded on SES’s decades of delivering a flawless and immersive TV viewing experience to Sky UK customers. It also underlines the continued and rising importance of satellites in delivering a premium content-viewing experience to end customers virtually everywhere.”