Japan’s NTV takes SES capacity for European sports events

Satellite operator SES has secured a contract with Japanese commercial broadcaster Nippon Television Network (NTV) for capacity on the Astra 3B satellite to deliver live broadcasts of sporting event sin Europe. 

The capacity contracted was utilised for the contribution of the World Wrestling Championship 2013 in Budapest, the Japan-Serbia football match and the Japan-Belarus football match over the months of September and October.

“This first partnership with NTV on an Astra satellite speaks of our commitment to offer ubiquitous global coverage to customers around the world and to ensure our customers can broadcast live sporting events seamlessly,” said Samantha McCloskey, vice-president of global occasional use services and special events at SES. “We are pleased that NTV is satisfied with the high level of professionalism shown by the SES Occasional Use team and the excellent coverage of Astra 3B over Europe, and hope to continue to provide them with future occasional use capacity for their business needs.”

Separately, SES has successfully placed a €500 million five-year Euro bond via its SES Global Americas Holding arm.

Proceeds from the bond will be used to refinance the group’s existing debt. The offer was priced with a coupon of 1.875%.

SES said the transaction generated strong interest among over 200 investors, which contributed to an order book in the area of €3 billion, enabling the company to price at the tight end of the guidance.

Padraig McCarthy, chief financial officer of SES, said: ”We are pleased to have secured this financing, which further strengthens our liquidity profile. The successful conclusion of this bond offering reflects the market’s view of SES as a strong investment grade credit, and underlines our ability to secure funding on attractive terms.”