Satellite : Satellite giant Intelsat to beam Altitude Sports nationwide

[rajuB4U]

Satellite giant Intelsat to beam Altitude Sports nationwide



Altitude Sports & Entertainment, Stan Kronke's television network that broadcasts Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche games, has reached a multi-year deal with Intelsat Ltd. for satellite distribution of its sports programming across the United States.
Altitude is the media arm of Kroenke's Denver sports empire. His company owns the Nuggets and Avalanche as well as the Pepsi Center, where both teams play, and other teams.
The deal was announced Wednesday by Pembroke, Bermuda-based Intelsat, one of the world's largest providers of satellite communications services. Intelsat now operates more than 50 satellites globally, with two more set to be launched by the end of November and 11 more in development, the industry website Total Telecom reports.
Under the deal, Intelsat said it will provide Altitude with capacity on its geosynchronous Galaxy 17 satellite to distribute its regional sports programming across the U.S. in standard and high definition.
Intelsat already transmits some 35 sports channels via satellite to cable systems across North America, including the MLB Network, Versus, Speed, Fuel, Fox Sports and the Big Ten Network.
"By joining [Intelsat], ... we benefit from a superior distribution platform that is expected to help us grow our viewership," Matthew Hutchings, Altitude's COO, said in the Intelsat statement.
Altitude currently is seen in 3 million homes across a 10-state territory.