Intelsat’s IPTV Platform Enhances Distribution of Video to Cruise Ships

 

 

11 April 2008

Intelsat, Ltd., announced today that Intelsat IPTV has been selected as a distribution platform for programming to cruise ships in the Americas. 

Wave Entertainment Network™, a wholly owned subsidiary of SeaMobile® Enterprises, contracted with Intelsat to provide Wave’s industry-leading satellite television via Intelsat’s IPTV platform to cruise ships in certain regions of the world. 

Wave Entertainment Network is delivering an at-sea and remote location viewing experience rivaling land-based services at home. The Wave network is the first multi-channel, interactive television platform ever to be distributed to passenger cruise ships in all ocean regions around the world. Wave offers abundant content with superior digital picture quality via the satellite delivered Intelsat IPTV system. The system is fully operational and the first ship, Oceania Cruises Insignia, has been deployed. 

Intelsat’s Galaxy 13/Horizons 1 satellite located at 127 degrees West, along with Intelsat’s IPTV Super Headend at its Mountainside Teleport facility in Maryland will be the primary transmitters of Wave’s channel lineup to the ships in the Americas. Wave’s system will utilize existing on-board tracking C-band antennas to receive the content. 

“Wave Entertainment Network is the first to serve the cruise industry with multi-channel, interactive television. Such diverse entertainment and communications offerings demand seamless, global connectivity and we continue to find those elements within the Intelsat global network of satellite and teleport facilities,” said Larry Lemoine, President of Wave Entertainment Network. “Wave Entertainment’s television line-up allows guests on cruise ships to experience all of the entertainment choices that they could expect on land. Intelsat's IPTV high-quality distribution platform is not only a leading offering today but it also provides us an opportunity to enhance our service as our business grows.” 

“With Intelsat IPTV, customers such as Wave Entertainment, receive a wholesale MPEG-4 content aggregation and delivery service that provides flexibility, ability to tailor a solution, cost-savings and high quality programming,” said Michael DeMarco, Intelsat’s Vice President, Video Services. ”Within the past few years, the maritime industry has seen a growing trend of adopting more always-on communications solutions and more diverse entertainment packages—both which can be seamlessly delivered via the Intelsat IPTV platform.”