Sinclair Broadcast Group Selects LTN Global Communications for Distribution of COMET

Sinclair Broadcast Group has selected LTN Global Communications (LTN), a global leader of fully-managed broadcast quality IP video transport solutions to distribute COMET, the first ever 24/7 science fiction multi-channel network, which is a joint venture between Sinclair Television Group and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (“MGM”).

LTNIn an unprecedented time frame of sixty (60) days, LTN delivered COMET in a 16:9 SD format to an initial sixty-four (64) Sinclair stations. Historically, this was the fastest rollout of a digital subcarrier channel to the market. Since then, COMET has been rolled out to an additional fifteen (15) stations.

“We are proud to have been selected by Sinclair as the transport solution for the COMET channel. The flexibility and scalability of the LTN Network enabled us to meet the aggressive launch schedule of COMET and we look forward to growing the footprint for COMET, along with other Sinclair initiatives,” said Malik Khan, Executive Chairman, LTN Global Communications, Inc.

Stations connect to the LTN Network utilizing an LTN LEAF and a managed switch and receive COMET (East and West Coast feeds) from the Sinclair Master Control located in West Palm Beach, Florida. The LTN LEAF is a single integrated unit combining an LTN embedded appliance, encoder and decoder, along with the functionality to transmit and receive up to 200 mbps of full-time and/or occasional use feeds via LTN’s fully-managed Global IP Network. The LTN connectivity infrastructure not only provides a large capacity for the distribution of additional future full-time channels, but also the flexibility of sending destination-specific content rather than a one-size-fits-all channel. Additionally, each Sinclair station also has the capability of sending or receiving ad hoc signals to or from one or more Sinclair stations, Sinclair Master Control, or any of nearly one-thousand (1,000) other sites connected to the LTN network.

“The decision to use LTN’s fully-managed Global IP Network solution was based on network reliability, overall cost-effectiveness, ease of deployment, and the ability to monitor COMET 24/7 in real-time,” said Delbert Parks III, Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. “Additionally, LTN’s Global IP Network provides Sinclair with the ability to scale COMET to both domestic and international markets as well as potentially adding new channels to the currently installed infrastructure.”

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