MACAO, Nov 8, 2016 - (ACN Newswire) - Leading satellite operator ABS has announced today that it will partner with PT Sarana Media Vision (SMV), using SMV's DTH license to launch a consumer FreeView satellite service - FreeViewSat - across Indonesia in January 2017. The service will be called SMV FreeViewSat and will initially broadcast over 60 television channels via the ABS-2, ABS-2A and ABS-6 satellites in both Ku and C-band.
For the first time in Indonesia, a free-to-view platform will be available throughout the entire country, allowing advertisers the opportunity to reach the full potential of the Indonesian audience.
The FreeViewSat model will promote maximum distribution and the cost of the STB & dish will be less than US$35. Customers will only need to make this one-time purchase to enjoy all the TV channels on the platform (with no monthly recurring subscription fees).
Tom Choi, CEO of ABS commented that "SMV's FreeViewSat will be very attractive for Indonesia by providing great quality international and unique domestic programming to the entire country. The goal is to deliver high quality entertainment and educational content affordably to all - For the first time, everybody, not only the affluent or those in the urban areas, will be able - receive high quality programming for free, with just a one-time purchase of a set-top box and dish. FreeViewSat will also give advertisers the first real opportunity to reach the whole population of Indonesia, even in rural areas. ABS is delighted to be partnering and supporting this highly worthwhile venture."
At launch in January, FreeViewSat will carry at least 30 local Free-to-Air channels and more than 30 high quality international channels. The number of channels will continue to grow to over 100 channels in the first 6 to 12 months as new and interesting content is added.
FreeViewSat will be available via 75cm Ku band dishes from 75E on ABS-2 and ABS-2A, and via 1.6m C-band antennas from 159E on ABS-6 simultaneously, so that consumers have the choice of small dishes, or larger ones with better rain protection. Since Indonesia already has over 10 million C-band antennas installed, the adoption rate is expected to be rapid.
ABS has selected the ABV conditional access and middleware system, along with Ali chips for its Set-Top Boxes.
Confirmed channels for launch include: TV9 Nusantara, TVRI Nasional, DAAI TV, TV One, ANTV, Metro TV, Trans 7, Trans TV, SCTV, Indosair, Kompas TV, Net TV, Bali TV H2, Bloomberg TV, France 24, Fix and Foxi Channel, Action Hollywood Movies, Pulse TV, Al Jazeera English, CCTV-News, CCTV-4, CCTV-9, Russia Today, MediaCorp Channel, Landscape HD, TRACE Urban and TRACE Sport Stars, B4U Music, B4U Movies, NDTV 24/7 and NDTV Good Times, and many more.
About PT Sarana Media Vision
PT Sarana Media Vision ("SMV") is an Indonesian company licensed by the Indonesian Ministry of Communications and Informatics to provide nationwide Direct-To-Home broadcast services. The SMV FreeViewSat DTH service is the digital direct broadcast satellite platform operating on the ABS-2, ABS-2A, and ABS-6 satellites in both Ku-band and C-band with excellent coverage over Indonesia. The platform carries a rich bouquet of local Indonesian and International channels including High Definition (HD) channels.
It is a unique Free-To-View DTH platform available nationwide that provides TV services directly to households in Indonesia. Unlike other PayTV services, subscribers of SMV FreeViewSat only need to purchase the receiver equipment (set-top box and antenna) at a very affordable one-off cost and enjoy the TV services without recurring charges.
About ABS
ABS is one of the fastest growing global satellite operators in the world. ABS offers a complete range of tailored solutions including broadcasting, data and telecommunication services to broadcasters, service providers, enterprises and government organizations. ABS operates a fleet of satellites; ABS-2, ABS-2A, ABS-3A, ABS-4/Mobisat-1, ABS-6, and ABS-7. The satellite fleet covers over 93% of the world's population across the Americas, Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, CIS and Russia. Headquartered in Bermuda, ABS has offices in the United States, UAE, South Africa, and Asia. ABS is majority owned by funds managed by the European Private Equity firm Permira. For more information, visit www.absatellite.com.
About Lightning International
Lightning International is a content solutions company. Core businesses are: 1) Channel representation and distribution, 2) Syndication of finished TV programmes and formats from a catalogue of 3000+ hours of content, and 3) Content and media business consultancy. The Lightning team have over 35 years of content distribution experience in the region. As well as the Hong Kong team, we have representatives in Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, and India, and have just opened a UK office. Please visit www.lightninginternational.net.
For further information, please contact:
Amanda Yang, Lightning International, amanda@lightninginternational.net, +852-9400-2605 or Penny Hill, ABS, penny@absatellite.com.
Topic: Business Tieup
Source: Lightning International / ABS Satellite
Sectors: Media & Marketing, Broadcast, Film & Sat, Satellite
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