JioStar Inks Strategic Satellite Partnership with SES to Strengthen Broadcast Reach
In a significant development for India’s media and broadcasting landscape, JioStar—the joint venture entity formed by Reliance Industries and Disney—has announced a long-term strategic partnership with Luxembourg-based global satellite operator SES. Under this new multi-year agreement, SES will facilitate the satellite distribution of JioStar’s extensive portfolio of television channels across India and the broader South Asian subcontinent.
The collaboration centers on the utilization of SES’s high-performance IS-20 satellite, a cornerstone of the company’s broadcast infrastructure in the region. By transitioning to this platform, JioStar aims to optimize the delivery of its entertainment and news programming to millions of households, ensuring seamless connectivity for cable operators, Direct-to-Home (DTH) providers, and various broadcast distribution networks.
Enhancing Broadcast Resilience and Quality
The shift to the IS-20 satellite is designed to provide JioStar with a more robust and future-proof broadcast framework. The IS-20 is renowned for being one of the most established “video neighborhoods” in the industry, serving a diverse array of broadcasters, telecom operators, and government agencies across Africa, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region.
Technologically, the satellite offers a sophisticated digital payload that supports both C-band and Ku-band delivery. This flexibility allows JioStar to maintain high-quality service standards, minimizing downtime and ensuring that content reaches viewers with the visual and audio fidelity that modern audiences demand. As the Indian television market continues to evolve with a mix of traditional linear viewing and digital integration, the reliance on such advanced satellite infrastructure remains critical for large-scale reach.
A Strategic Milestone for JioStar
For JioStar, which manages a significant footprint of channels that influence the daily viewing habits of Indian families, this partnership is a pivotal step in maintaining its market dominance.
“Our partnership with SES marks an exciting new chapter for JioStar as our bouquet of television channels continues to reach millions of homes across India,” said Rajat Nigam, Head of Technology and Media Operations at JioStar. “We are happy to expand our reach and continue delivering the high-quality programming that our audiences have come to expect of us over the years.”
Nigam’s sentiments reflect the company’s broader objective to leverage global-standard technology to solve local distribution challenges. By tapping into SES’s proven track record, JioStar is positioning itself to handle the complexities of multi-region broadcasting with greater agility.
Strengthening the Satellite Ecosystem in South Asia
Deepak Mathur, President of the Media Vertical at SES, highlighted the importance of this deal in the context of the company’s ongoing investment in the Asia-Pacific region. “JioStar is one of the most iconic and well-known media brands in India, and we are proud to support their region-wide broadcast operations,” Mathur noted.
He further emphasized that the infrastructure provided by the IS-20 platform is tailored to handle the high-volume demands of major media conglomerates. “With IS-20, JioStar can serve audiences across India and beyond with confidence, while benefiting from resilient infrastructure, strong performance, and SES’s commitment to excellence.”
This partnership arrives at a time when the Indian media sector is witnessing intense competition and a push toward better distribution efficiencies. By securing a reliable satellite backbone, JioStar is effectively insulating its operations against the logistical challenges of reaching remote and urban corners of the subcontinent alike, ensuring that its content delivery remains uninterrupted as it grows its domestic and regional influence.
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