SES: Bringing Football’s Biggest Event to Fans All Over the World

Whether they are watching in their living rooms, on the go or in the air

Rest assured, no matter where you are, football fans won’t miss a minute of the tournament action.

That’s because SES, a leading space solutions company, together with its global partners, will be supporting the broadcast by delivering live action and supplementary coverage from the tournament in North America, ensuring millions of football fans around the world have the best viewing experience, no matter where they are.

In Germany, through its collaboration with the German Football Federation and the recently launched DFB.TV offering on the HD+ platform, SES is enabling dedicated coverage of the German national team, including behind-the-scenes content, live updates from the team base camp, and exclusive reporting throughout the tournament, expanding the viewing experience beyond football matches.

At the same time, audiences in Germany and Austria can access live matches via SES’s prime video neighborhood at 19.2 degrees East, where public broadcasters across the region such as ARD, ZDF, and ORF are delivering extensive tournament coverage.

Across the Americas, SES is supporting other major rights holders by ensuring seamless, real-time delivery of live content from the International Broadcast Centre in the US to their home throughout the tournament. Utilizing hybrid distribution spanning satellite, fiber and IP ensures total reliability which is essential for large-scale live events. This helps to ensure the best viewing experience for fans watching around the region.

Beyond traditional broadcast viewing, SES is also bringing fans closer to the tournament experience in the air with inflight connectivity (IFC). Announced early June, SES is now providing Viva Airlines with high-speed multi-orbit IFC enabling passengers to now stream, chat, and share on flights. On select Viva flights, SES is sponsoring complimentary Wi-Fi sessions during the tournament, enabling passengers to stay connected and engage with tournament coverage while traveling.  

“Distribution of an event at this scale is one of the most complex undertakings in sports broadcasting as it combines multiple technical and operational challenges to ensure a successful transmission,” said Michele Gosetti, VP Media Sales Sports & Events at SES. “At SES, we are proud of our ability to deploy our global infrastructure, partnerships, and technical expertise to ensure that fans can experience every moment of the tournament.”

This truly global effort makes it clear – satellite remains a critical element in the ecosystem of live sports, enabling rights holders and broadcasters to distribute premium live and premium content at scale with consistent quality and unmatched reach. When combined with hybrid delivery via fiber and IP, it provides flexibility and resilience critical for large global events.

With the ability to reach nearly 2.3 billion viewers worldwide, SES has played a role in the delivery of all ten of the most watched sporting events ever and will continue to help audiences watch their favorite teams wherever they are with the distribution of this summer’s tournament from North America.

Want to learn more about what else SES powers? Learn more on our website.