Prime Positioning For Comcast With SES AMERICOM

The Comcast Media Center (CMC) has expanded its relationship with SES AMERICOM by signing a multi-year, multi-transponder contract. Eventually, the CMC will use 29 C-band transponders in SES AMERICOM’s HD-PRIME satellite neighborhood to deliver the current HITS Quantum platform plus additional services to HITS affiliates. The move to C-band from Ku-band will enhance service reliability and provide easier access to more programming and advanced service offerings such as HD and VOD. With the signing of this deal, SES AMERICOM has executed agreements with customers for all AMC-18 capacity, the newest satellite in the AMERICOM fleet. SES AMERICOM’s HD-PRIME neighborhood is the industry’s only five-satellite-strong platform for the ubiquitous delivery of HD programming to cable television headends nationwide. Starting this spring, the majority of video services offered by HITS Quantum, including standard and high definition linear and non-linear programming, will be available on three satellites in SES AMERICOM’s HD-PRIME neighborhood: AMC-1, AMC-4 and AMC-18.



Initially, the CMC will use fifteen of the twenty-one AMC-18 transponders to continue the delivery of HITS Quantum HD channels. Additionally, they’ll also expand the HD lineup and offer the HITS Quantum Classic lineup, which currently includes over 150 linear SD channels and 38 digital audio services. The HITS Quantum SD lineup, which is available on AMC-4, currently includes digital feeds for 68 widely carried “basic and expanded basic” channels. Video-on-demand programming, including the CMC’s “VOD In a Box” service, is available on the AMC-1 satellite. HITS affiliates can receive these HITS Quantum services from all three satellites with one antenna by retrofitting an existing antenna that is already looking at one of these satellites or receive a new one through SES AMERICOM’s popular triple-feed antenna program—Denver, Colorado & Princeton, New Jersey