[SatNews] Intelsat S.A. has announced that the international direct-to-home (DTH) community on the Galaxy 19 satellite...

...grew in several key categories in 2011, as more broadcasters from around the globe discover the tremendous reach and value that the platform provides. Intelsat operates the premier, free-to-air ,U.S. ethnic DTH community aboard the Galaxy 19 satellite. Located at 97 degrees West, Galaxy 19 provides complete coverage of the continental United States, the Caribbean, Alaska and Hawaii. This coverage allows content providers worldwide to deliver their programming to the growing number of large and varied international populations living in the United States who want to keep current with the latest news and entertainment from their home countries. At the close of 2011, the international programming lineup aboard Galaxy 19 consisted of:

• Content in more than 40 languages (up 32 percent from the end of 2010)
• 53 channels of religious-themed content (up 29 percent)
• Channels carried by Galaxy 19 cater to about 70 percent of those viewers in the U.S. whose native language is not English or Spanish
• About 83 percent of content is free-to-air, making it extremely accessible to key audiences

A recent survey conducted by IBOPE Zogby International revealed that the Galaxy 19 international DTH community enjoys excellent penetration in particular among Arabic and Farsi speakers living in the U.S., with content viewed by 28 percent of Arabic speakers, and 33 percent of Farsi speakers. The strong popularity of Galaxy 19 demonstrates the value that content providers can achieve by placing their channel on the platform, enabling programmers to lower their costs and increase their return on investment, as advertisers are ensured efficient and effective access to their target audiences.

  In addition to Galaxy 19, Intelsat also offers premier international DTH communities on Intelsat 8 serving Australia and New Zealand, Intelsat New Dawn serving Africa, and Intelsat 905, serving Western Europe. Also, media attending NAB in Las Vegas, NV, are encouraged to visit Intelsat's booth, located at SU-4919 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.