RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd. (NASDAQ: RRST), a provider of comprehensive content management and global distribution services to the television and radio broadcasting industries, announced the launch on May 24, 2011 of FIGHT NOW! TV, a 24-hour combat sports channel, in HD, on the Galaxy 23 satellite providing access to nearly 8,000 cable headends representing close to 90% of the American cable market. FIGHT NOW! TV is dedicated to mixed martial arts (MMA) as well as boxing, grappling and kickboxing.
FIGHT NOW! TV joins more than 590 TV and radio channels delivered, managed or transmitted to multiplatform operators globally or directly to viewers at home via the RRsat Global Network. RRsat captures content quickly and economically at its source using the customer’s choice of delivery media and formats. At launch, FIGHT NOW! TV used RRsat's RRstream technology to securely stream content from FIGHT NOW! TV in Toronto, Canada to RRsat's Hawley Teleport in Pennsylvania for national satellite distribution on the Galaxy 23 satellite. RRstream provides low-to-zero latency and maintains high content resolution supporting even HD satellite distribution and is often used to jumpstart a channel. Tapeless digital workflow options allow HD or 3D channels like FIGHT NOW! TV to launch immediately and cost effectively while maintaining the high resolution expected. “We appreciate the speed and quality of the service provided by RRsat,” said Mr. Mike Garrow, General Manager and Co-Founder of FIGHT NOW! TV. “While we initially launched on Cablevision, with the wide audience being made available by RRsat on the Galaxy 23 satellite, we expect to expand very quickly to additional cable, satellite and telco operators so that fight fans across the country can have a 24/7 combat sports destination on their TVs.”
“We are proud to be adding FIGHT NOW! TV to the long list of sports channels that we deliver worldwide including 24/7 sports channels like Fox Sports, and live HD and 3D cricket, tennis, soccer and other sporting events,” said Mr. Yaniv Lior, Senior Director of US Sales and Operations, RRsat America. “With RRstream, we were able to launch cost-effectively and in record time. The Galaxy 23 satellite provides FIGHT NOW! TV with the potential for an extensive North American viewing audience.”