Arqiva is supporting the launch of ‘Military History' - the latest channel from well-known broadcaster The History Channel - onto the UK Sky direct-to-home platform from 28 July 2008. The five-year contract will see Military History benefit from full playout services from Arqiva's Chalfont Grove facility, which will also uplink the channel onto the company's Eurobird satellite capacity. Arqiva will also provide the channel with an advanced graphical overlay package, voiceover facilities and full digital archiving of the channel's content.

Richard Melman, acting managing director of The History Channel UK, said: "We are delighted that Arqiva has been able to provide Military History with all the facilities we need on a single site. Arqiva's efficient, pro-active and flexible approach to meeting our requirements has greatly simplified our launch process and we are confident that their extensive experience of playout on the Sky platform will deliver the high levels of reliability we demand."

John Bozza, director of sales at Arqiva's Satellite Media Solutions division, said: "Military History will certainly be a popular new offering from one of the world's most recognizable and respected broadcasters. We are delighted that The History Channel has chosen Arqiva for such a central role in the channel's launch. Our ability to provide a comprehensive, co-located and cost-effective broadcast solution brings significant advantages to new and established broadcasters wishing to launch single or multiple channels onto the Sky platform. We wish Military History every success and look forward to building our relationship with The History Channel in the future."