MLBI Taps Intelsat For Global Distribution

Major League Baseball International (MLBI) has signed a contract with Intelsat for international distribution to its rightsholders in Asia, Europe and Latin America, providing local viewing access to games and highlights of the 2009 upcoming season.

Standard and high definition feeds of MLB games will be transmitted into Asia, Europe and Latin America using five Intelsat satellites. Intelsat will pick up the signals via its major video switch interconnects, transport the programming to its teleport facility in Ellenwood, Georgia, and uplink the games to the Intelsat satellites for transmission to the broadcast receive sites in Asia, Europe and Latin America. In addition to regular season games, this contract also calls for transmission of The American League Championship Series, the World Series and The World Baseball Classic in March 2009.

“Major League Baseball enjoys an avid fan base around the world, and we are continually seeking ways to increase the profile of the franchise. As we continue to increase our distribution, we chose Intelsat because it offered us a seamless, one-platform solution for our international broadcasting needs,” says Russell Gabay, Vice President and Executive Producer, International Broadcasting. “The Intelsat satellites provide coverage and access to video neighborhoods that help us expand distribution of our programs.”

“The ability to continue and expand upon our existing relationship for global content distribution with Major League Baseball International is a testament to Intelsat’s industry strength in providing our customers worldwide transmission services for in-demand content,” adds Ronald Rosenthal, Intelsat’s Regional Vice President, Broadcast Solutions. “The Intelsat global network affords our customers a one-stop-shop for both standard and high definition services ultimately resulting in further global penetration of their product.”