SES Astra

SES Astra SA was a corporate subsidiary of SES, based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg, that maintained and operated the Astra series of geostationary communication satellites between 2001 and 2011.

SES Astra
TypePrivately owned subsidiary
IndustryTelecommunications
FateSubsumed by parent
Founded1985
Defunct2011
HeadquartersBetzdorf, Luxembourg
ProductsSatellite Services
Revenue€950 million (2010)[1]
€536. million (2010)[1]
Number of employees
292 (2010)
ParentSES
SubsidiariesSES ASTRA TechCom
ASTRA Platform Services
ASTRA Broadband Services
WebsiteSES ASTRA
Parabolic antennas of ASTRA in Unterföhring

Formed in 1985 as Société Européenne des Satellites (SES), it was Europe's first private satellite operator. In November 2001, upon the purchase of GE Americom from General Electric (renamed to SES Americom), SES Global was formed as the parent company to SES Americom and SES Astra. SES Astra was formed at that time as a subsidiary company to contain all of SES's existing European based satellite operations.

In September 2011, SES Astra and sister subsidiary SES World Skies (formed from SES Americom and SES New Skies) were merged back into SES S.A. to streamline operations under a single management system. Subsidiaries of SES Astra, such as HD Plus and ASTRA Broadband Services became direct subsidiaries of SES. The brand name, Astra, representing the satellite family and the broadcasting system continues to be used and, although the corporate website (www.ses-astra.com) was closed when SES Astra was consolidated into the parent, the consumer site (astra.ses) remains in operation.[2][3]

A book, High Above, telling the story of the creation and development of Astra, SES, and SES Astra, and the history of recent developments of the European TV and media industry, along with their context in the wider development of broadcasting and space technology, was published in April 2010 to mark the 25th Anniversary of SES.

Broadcasting statistics

At the end of 2011, Astra satellite broadcasts were received in over 135 million households in Europe and North Africa; 57.6 million households in Astra services via a direct-to-home dish. Another 67.8 million households received Astra services via a cable headend, and 9.8 million households received Astra services via an IPTV network. The satellite constellation was broadcasting 200 high definition TV channels. Sixteen million households watched high definition TV channels via Astra satellites.[4]

Broadcasting Developments

SES Astra was involved in the introduction of digital TV, HDTV, and 3D TV in Europe. The first high definition TV channel in Europe (Euro1080) broadcast via Astra 19.2°E[5] and SES Astra both supported new HDTV channels and pressed for standards, founding the European HDTV Forum and the HD ready TV specification.[6]

SES Astra has also been prominent in the development and roll-out of commercial 3D TV services for Europe, and in September 2010 announced an initiative with the backing of the major European public and private broadcasters and the consumer electronics industry, to support the introduction of 3D TV in Europe, including agreement on the minimum technical specifications required for broadcasting and receiving 3D television.[7] Europe's first commercial 3D TV channel, Sky 3D launched from the Astra 28.2°E position on 1 October 2010.[8]

SES Astra was a member of the Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) consortium of broadcasting and Internet industry companies that is promoting and establishing an open European standard (called HbbTV) for hybrid set-top boxes for the reception of broadcast TV and broadband multimedia applications with a single user interface.

See also

References
  1. "Microsoft Word - Q1_2011_e-final.doc" (PDF). SES S.A. May 12, 2011.
  2. "New logo and brand identity presented at IBC in Amsterdam" (Press release). SES. September 9, 2011. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011.
  3. "SES OPERATES UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE" (Press release). SES. May 2, 2011. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012.
  4. ASTRA Satellite Monitor research Archived 2011-08-09 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "SES ASTRA and Euro1080 to pioneer HDTV in Europe" (Press release). SES ASTRA. October 23, 2003.
  6. "HDTV specifications and timetable agreed by SES ASTRA and industry partners from all over Europe" (Press release). SES ASTRA. June 4, 2004.
  7. "SES ASTRA TAKES 3D INITIATIVE" (Press release). SES Astra. September 2, 2010.
  8. "Sky 3D website". Sky.com. 2010-06-06. Retrieved 2010-06-19.

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