Sentech has signed a commercial cooperation agreement with GlobeCast Africa, allowing it to use GlobeCast Africa's satellite infrastructure to transport overseas broadcast content to SA. It also allows GlobeCast Africa to use Sentech's infrastructure to transport local content to the rest of the world.
According to Riaan Emerich, Sentech portfolio manager, the agreement aims to enhance Sentech's infrastructure and help provide cost-effective content for broadcasters. It strengthens the company's capability to provide a range of options for broadcasters, he says.
The three-year contract was effective from 1 April, he notes, adding that there are no financial arrangements involved in the deal.
Through the agreement, Sentech will have access to GlobeCast's programme linking platforms from five continents, including news, entertainment, sports and coverage of events of global importance, Emerich says.
He notes that GlobeCast Africa is a content management and delivery company that manages and transports 10 million hours of video and other rich media annually for its customer base which includes broadcasters, companies, governments and retailers.
Emerich adds that GlobeCast was recently involved in sending signals from the winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia. The company will also be involved in the FIFA World Cup in Germany and the Asian Games in Qatar this year, he says.
In the case of an international sporting event like the FIFA World Cup, GlobeCast Africa can pass the content to Sentech, which will then pass it to local television stations, he says. The agreement will also enable major sporting events in SA to be broadcast to the rest of the world.
Emerich says broadcasters and production companies will also benefit from the arrangement, while viewers will probably not be noticeably affected.
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