CAIRO: Eutelsat Communications and MBC Group have announced the signing of a new contract between the two companies dealing with the capacity on Eutelsat's new ATLANTIC BIRD 7 satellite. The contract will provide MBC Group with a full transponder, enabling MBC Group to expand the platform of channels available to their Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) viewers. The MBC Group is planning to launch new High Definition content in January 2012, an announcement they had made during the Digital TV Middle East broadcast and broadband conference currently being held in Dubai. MBC launched the first ever pan-Arab free-to-air satellite in 1991, and was also the beginning of the Eutelsat and MBC Group partnership. In the past decade, MBC Group has expanded to hold 10 TV channels, two radio stations and a production house. ATLANTIC BIRD 7 was launched on September 24. The satellite provides both Arab and international channels to almost 30 million satellite homes, from the North African Atlantic coastline across to the Gulf States. Commenting on the new contract, MBC Group's COO Sam Barnett said: “We are enthusiastic about this additional capacity on the ATLANTIC BIRD 7 satellite that will allow us to further expand in the future and meet the expectations of our loyal viewers across the MENA region.” Andrew Wallace, Eutelsat Chief Commercial Officer, added: “With MBC Group's selection of ATLANTIC BIRD 7 as their chosen platform to move into HDTV we are even more excited about the potential of our new satellite to partner broadcasters in the Middle East and North Africa. This is a great start for ATLANTIC BIRD 7 and we look forward to furthering our longstanding presence and strong partnerships across the region and playing our part in the ongoing roll-out of HDTV.” BM
