Viasat Ukraine signs deal with SES

Pay TV outfit Viasat Ukraine has signed a deal with satellite operator SES to broadcast its offering on the Astra 4A satellite.

Under the multi-year agreement with SES, Viasat Ukraine’s Vision TV service will be broadcasting approximately 40 pay TV channels, including 13 are in high-definition, and about 60 free-to-air channels at 5° East. SES serves close to 13 million TV homes in Ukraine from this orbital position, of which 4.5 million are DTH homes.

“We are very pleased that Viasat Ukraine has trusted us with the delivery of their video content. This agreement with such an important TV player in Ukraine confirms our leading position in the country when it comes to DTH services. With the digital switchover approaching, and the drive for encryption of satellite channels, we strongly believe there will be considerable growth opportunities in the market, and we expect to support our customers in seizing them,” said Norbert Hölzle, SVP, commercial Europe, SES Video.

“Viasat Ukraine offers the best collection of content available in local languages, and a reliable transmission of this content is key to keep entertaining our audience in the best possible way. That is why we chose to rely on SES’s track record in delivering high-quality services. We are confident that SES’s expertise will help us grow our audience and our TV business in the coming years,” said Svitlana Mischenko, CEO at Viasat Ukraine.

Viasat Ukraine was sold by Modern Times Group last year to Ukrainian broadcaster 1+1, which saw an opportunity to diversify from its primarily advertising-focused free-to-air business.