PA Panamsat Holding Cor

SINGAPORE, June 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PanAmSat (NYSE:PA) announced today that TVBI Company Limited of Hong Kong had signed an agreement for capacity on the PAS-8 Pacific Ocean Region satellite for distribution of its programming throughout the Asia-Pacific region, the United States and Europe. Operated by Television Broadcast Limited (TVB), the world's largest producer and contributor of Chinese-language programs, TVBI will utilize the highly flexible and powerful PAS-8 as the distribution vehicle for its programming as well as for TVBI's TVBS Taiwan channel. Speaking from CommunicAsia, PanAmSat Vice President, Asia Pacific, David Ball said, "A loyal customer of PanAmSat for 11 years, TVBI has been very pleased with our customer service and technical support. If you add that to PAS-8's footprint, power and penetration in regional cable head ends, you have the answer why TVBI came back to PanAmSat for a renewal of their agreement. We're very honored that TVBI chose to continue their long-standing relationship with PanAmSat for the far-reaching distribution they need to take their product globally." TVBI's programming is aired by broadcasters, cable and satellite service operators throughout the USA, Europe and the Asia- Pacific region. The signal uplink from Hong Kong will be distributed throughout the Asia-Pacific region via PAS-8. At the same time, the signal also serves as a contribution feed which will be picked up by the PanAmSat NAPA teleport and delivered to TVB USA Norwalk operations for onward delivery to Chinese-speaking audiences nationwide. PanAmSat's NAPA teleport will be responsible for partial delivery to TVB London operations. TVBS Taiwan will deliver four channels to Taiwan cable head ends. They are: TVBS, TVBS-N, TVBS-G and TVBS Asia. These 24-hour-a-day channels include drama, general entertainment, variety shows and news coverage. "PanAmSat and TVBI share a long-standing relationship which we are delighted to expand," said Mr. Peter Tang, assistant general manager, TVBI Company Limited. "The agreement with PanAmSat will enable us to provide the international, quality programming that our viewers expect and enjoy." PAS-8 is home to some of the best-known broadcasting and cable television networks including: TVB, ABS-CBN, Turner Broadcasting, ESPN, CCTV, CNBC Asia, Discovery Networks and NHK. The satellite provides video, telecommunications and Internet access throughout the Asia-Pacific region, including a high-power C-band beam that stretches from Bangladesh to the western United States. PAS-8 also contains high-power Ku-band spot beams that cover Australia, Northeast Asia and now the Southwest Pacific. C-band and Ku-band customers are both able to use the PanAmSat teleport in Napa, Calif. to send signals directly to Asia or to receive PAS-8 signals in the United States for onward transmission over other PanAmSat satellites worldwide. About TVBI: Hong Kong-based TVBI Company Limited (TVBI) is the worldwide operating arm of Television Broadcast Limited (TVB), the world's largest producer and contributor of Chinese language programs. TVBI supplies quality TV programs to free-to-air broadcasters, cable and satellite service operators and licensed video and VCD distributors. TVBI has also been playing an active role in the development of the emerging digital media including Internet TV, Internet VOD, IPTV and 3G mobile phones. About TVBS: TVBS family of channels in Taiwan was created in 1993 by the Hong Kong-based TVBI. Ever since TVBS was launched, they have become one of the most popular cable channels among viewers and advertisers in Taiwan. TVBS channels have reached almost [80] percent of Taiwan's total television households. They have four channels namely TVBS, TVBS-N, TVBS-G and TVBS Asia and are broadcast on a 24-hour basis. Programs include drama, general entertainment, variety shows, news coverage and news commentary. About PanAmSat: Through its owned and operated fleet of 24 satellites, PanAmSat (NYSE:PA) is a leading global provider of video, broadcasting and network distribution and delivery services. It transmits nearly 2,000 television channels worldwide and, as such, is the leading carrier of standard and high-definition signals. In total, the Company's in-orbit fleet is capable of reaching over 98 percent of the world's population through cable television systems, broadcast affiliates, direct-to-home operators, Internet service providers and telecommunications companies. In addition, PanAmSat supports the largest concentration of satellite-based business networks in the U.S., as well as specialized communications services in remote areas throughout the world. For more information, visit the Company's Web site at http://www.panamsat.com/ . DATASOURCE: PanAmSat CONTACT: Kathryn Lancioni of PanAmSat Corporation, +1-203-210-8649, Web site: http://www.panamsat.com/

Copyright