Turner Broadcasting System signed a five-year distribution and contribution agreement for CNN video delivery to and from Europe and the Middle East with satellite operator SES Americom-New Skies.
Under the agreement, Turner will use two transponders of capacity -- 72 MHz total -- aboard SES's NSS-7 satellite. The same satellite also is providing the backhaul of news reports from CNN's London, Moscow, Jerusalem and Baghdad bureaus to the U.S.
"SES Americom-New Skies and its NSS-7 platform provide the coverage we must have to reach growing CNN audiences across Europe and the Middle East," Turner vice president of international distribution John Ball said in a statement.
The NSS-7 hybrid Ku- and C-band satellite is located at 338 degrees East over the Atlantic Ocean, providing coverage of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. The bird features 49 C-band transponders and 48 Ku-band transponders.
