Fox International Channels expands African reach with RRSat deal

Fox International Channels (FIC) is broadening its African reach after signing a long-term agreement with Israel-based satellite services provider RRsat Global Communications Network.

The agreement will see RRSat support the broadcast of FIC’s French channels throughout Africa, with the launch of some of the latter’s main factual TV brands – National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild and travel channel Voyage – via the new RRsat C-Band platform on Measat Satellite Systems’ AFRICASAT-1a satellite.

Tim Joyce, FIC’s vice president of broadcast operations, Europe, said that the deal will let it “deliver our content to viewers all over the continent, reaching a greater number of subscribers and making possible the increase of distribution.”

FIC, 21st Century Fox’s international multi-media business, already operates more than 300 channels globally, reaching over 1.6 billion viewers worldwide in 48 languages across Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa.