PanAmSat Corporation today announced that more than 24 top broadcasters, programmers and news agencies in over two-dozen countries are using the company global satellite network for delivery of the World Cup.

With more than 17,000 hours of video transmission time booked to date, it is the largest special events offering in PanAmSat history, a company release states. Through its coverage of the event, PanAmSat offers customers unparalleled global reach, state-of-the-art production and transmissions facilities, as well as the ability to uplink live directly from remote locations throughout Korea and Japan via mobile transmission units.

"Our global resources, in conjunction with the collective expertise of our onsite special events staff, ensures that millions of viewers around the world experience the excitement of the World Cup," said Joseph R Wright, PanAmSat president and CEO.

According to Catherine A Palaia, PanAmSat vice-president of special events and occasional use broadcast services, the company is serving more than 24 countries during the world's most-watched sporting event including: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, France, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, Korea, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom. PanAmSat, acting as a third-party provider for rights holders at the International Broadcast Center (IBC), is offering comprehensive services such as compression, transmission hardware and an encryption system, providing conditional access to the World Cup. In addition, PanAmSat is working closely with local Korean and Japanese satellite carriers and broadcasters to provide services such as Onse Telecom, DaCom, Japan Telecom and KDDI.

PanAmSat's special events team has been on site since April to ensure seamless service for its customers. The company is employing over 60 satellite paths and 30 transponders across 11 spacecrafts to transmit the games. PanAmSat, a Type One (T-1) carrier since November 1995, was the first US company awarded this license by the Japanese Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. The license enables PanAmSat, one of the only non-government entities in Japan to hold a T-1 classification, to offer international satellite-based services directly to customers in Japan. Under the umbrella of PanAmSat's license, customers will be able to obtain a temporary operating license in Japan so as to receive and then broadcast the games on their own network.

Official rights holders have the option of uplinking to the PanAmSat spacecraft directly from the IBC in Seoul, Korea. PanAmSat has coordinated with local production and transmission facilities so that non-rights holders and occasional-use customers can also uplink to a satellite in PanAmSat's fleet of 21 spacecraft for distribution.

In addition, PanAmSat Napa, Fillmore, Ellenwood and Homestead teleport facilities will serve as critical retransmission points for the onward delivery of live coverage from Korea and Japan to sites throughout the Americas and around the world.

In addition to this year's World Cup, PanAmSat Broadcast Services Department has teamed with dozens of leading broadcasters and programmers to deliver hundreds of thousands of hours of live coverage of the worlds premier sporting and special events, as well as breaking news to audiences around the world. Past events include the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia; the 1998 World Cup tournament in Paris, France; the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada; and the 2000 Millennium celebrations.


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