Ivory Coast Accelerates Digital Migration with SES

Ivorian TV viewers will be able to watch 60 digital TV channels via SES’s satellite at 22 degrees West

ABIDJAN, Cote d’Ivoire & Luxembourg -- (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Ivory Coast’s public broadcasting company, the Société Ivoirienne de Télédiffusion (SIDT), has selected SES as its digital partner in a major move to meet the country’s 2020 deadline for switching over from analogue to digital broadcasting. Under this multi-year agreement, 60 analogue turned digital channels will be broadcast with brighter, sharper picture and better sound, via the SES-4 satellite at 22 degrees West.

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SES will be using the comprehensive coverage of SES-4 to ensure high service availability of bandwidth and to broadcast all channels via the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) infrastructure across Ivory Coast. These digital channels will then be available to all Ivorian television (TV) viewers who have a digital set-top box or an integrated digital TV with a built-in DTT decoder.

In addition to using SES-4 to accelerate the digital switchover, the capacity leased on SES-4 for digital broadcasting will also be used to broadcast Radiodiffusion Télévision Ivoirienne (RTI), the state's public TV network, to fulfill its public service mission of providing local news and information to Ivorians.

“SES has provided us with an innovative solution to ensure deployment of digital TV by broadcasting multiplexes across the country. This is an important milestone as we are now one step closer to ending analogue service,” said Yeo Adama, General Manager of the SIDT. “We are excited to work with SES, which has both the technical capabilities and the practical experience required to support our ambitious projects, including the implementation of new broadcasting standards.”

“The move from analogue to digital broadcasting can be complex, and we are fully committed to making this as hassle-free as possible for the SIDT in Ivory Coast. Our satellite will provide the reliability to broadcast high-picture-quality TV services to Ivorians, while our teams are well-positioned to deliver the technical services and innovative solutions required to facilitate a successful digital migration for Ivory Coast,” said Clint Brown, Vice President of Sales and Market Development for SES Video in Africa.

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About SES

SES is the world’s leading satellite operator with over 70 satellites in two different orbits, Geostationary Orbit (GEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). It provides a diverse range of customers with global video distribution and data connectivity services through two business units: SES Video and SES Networks. SES Video reaches over 355 million TV homes, through Direct-to-Home (DTH) platforms and cable, terrestrial, and IPTV networks globally. The SES Video portfolio includes MX1, a leading media service provider offering a full suite of innovative services for both linear and digital distribution, and the ASTRA satellite system, which has the largest DTH television reach in Europe. SES Networks provides global managed data services, connecting people in a variety of sectors including telecommunications, maritime, aeronautical, and energy, as well as governments and institutions across the world. The SES Networks portfolio includes GovSat, a 50/50 public-private partnership between SES and the Luxembourg government, and O3b, the only non-geostationary system delivering fibre-like broadband services today.

Further information is available at: www.ses.com

About SIDT

Société Ivoirienne de Télédiffusion (SIDT) is a state company, created by decree n° 2017-844 during the Council of Ministers on December 20, 2017. Its main purpose is to ensure the broadcasting of radio and television programs on the national territory of Ivory Coast.

Its role as a broadcaster also gives it the following prerogatives: Management of sound and television broadcasting centers installed on the national territory; creation, operation, maintenance and extension of digital terrestrial television broadcasting networks; management and maintenance of the analogue television broadcasting network during the simulcasting period; provision of multiplexing, transport and broadcasting services for channels, TV packages, and public and private radios; promotion of cooperation with international technical bodies, coordinating with the institutions involved.