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Satnews Daily
June 14th, 2012

Optus... Racing To Upgraded Distribution (SatBroadcasting™)


[SatNews] Optus has reached another milestone in its 25 year partnership with...

...Sky Racing after signing a new long-term contract to deliver satellite broadcast distribution for its Sky Racing services. Sky Racing uses Optus satellites to broadcast live thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing on multiple channels to more than 5,000 venues across Australia. Under the new agreement, Optus will migrate Sky Racing’s existing broadcast distribution service from its D2 satellite to the new Optus Aurora Digital satellite platform using Optus D3. The new platform is based on DVB-S2 and MPEG4 technologies to deliver more efficient use of satellite bandwidth, enabling Sky Racing to provide a better viewer experience for end-customers. Sky Racing will also be able to expand its number of racing channels due to increased satellite capacity.

Over the next 18 months, Sky Racing will upgrade its customer on-premise equipment to progressively switch on the enhanced satellite broadcast service across 5,000 customer sites. As the installation components align with Australian satellite industry standard practice, satellite dish installations will also be more cost-effective. Optus has five satellites currently in orbit, with a new satellite, Optus 10, scheduled for launch in 2013. Optus provides satellite services to many leading Australian and New Zealand broadcasters, including ABC, FOXTEL, GlobeCast Australia, Nine Network, SBS, GWN7 and Sky TV New Zealand. Rob Parcell, Managing Director of Optus Wholesale and Satellite said, “Broadcast has been a key component of the Optus satellite business since our inception, which has enabled us to develop a deep understanding and strong expertise in broadcasting.