Astra signs Rai capacity deal

Satellite operator SES Astra has signed a capacity agreement with Rai.

The Italian public broadcaster will use capacity on Astra’s 19.2° East orbital position to broadcast new international channel Yes Italia. The agreement also includes the delivery of uplink services from Astra’s broadcasting centre in Unterföhring near Munich and follows successful test broadcasts in 2009.

Yes Italia is designed to promote Italy’s historical, artistic and cultural heritage to an audience across Europe. It is managed by Rai’s subsidiary NewCo Rai and is broadcast in Italian with English and Spanish subtitles.

Separately, SES World Skies has signed a deal with digital signage company Microspace to deliver digital signage to retail stores across Europe via the NSS-7 satellite. The service will be used by an international clothing retailer to extend digital branding delivered in North America via the AMC-1 satellite.