NEP Connect (formerly known as SIS LIVE) is pleased to announce its new agreement with Sky Sports News for the provision of satellite capacity for its news gathering operations.

Sky Sports News, the leading 24-hour sports news channel in the UK, has a long relationship with NEP Connect, having utilized its SNG delivery services and satellite capacity for many years. This 4 year contract delivers 73MHz of capacity on the Eutelsat E16A satellite for the Sky Sports and Sky Sports News fleet of satellite newsgathering (SNG) vehicles, which are also supplied and operated by NEP Connect. The fleet is located throughout the United Kingdom and delivers fast-response coverage of breaking sports news from any location.

Sky Sports will make use of this satellite bandwidth for its live coverage of weekend football matches, which are also transmitted by NEP Connect SNG vehicles. NEP Connect’s scale and wide-ranging capabilities offer customers a true one stop shop experience, unrivalled by any other supplier in the UK.

This is the latest in a series of new contracts with major customers which allow NEP Connect to remain at the forefront of the provision of SNG services to the UK market place. NEP Connect now provides satellite newsgathering capacity for every single news and sports news broadcaster in the UK.

NEP Connect is able to provide full resilience for the Sky downlink system, using its two broadcast teleport/MCR systems which offer round the clock coverage. The teleports, located in Milton Keynes and MediaCityUK in Salford, are connected to the NEP Connect national fibre network which has direct reach into strategic locations around the UK, including Sky’s facility in Osterley.

NEP Connect has previously supported Sky Sports News in a number of groundbreaking projects, including its record-breaking 92Live programme, which saw live broadcasts take place from each of the 92 football and Premier League grounds in the UK in just 12 hours. Sky Sports has also sought NEP Connect’s expertise in the development of its Ultra HD (4K) capability, which has seen NEP Connect uplink vehicles broadcast Ultra HD coverage of Premier League football over satellite.

David Meynell says “This important agreement with Sky Sports is yet further proof of NEP Connect’s position as the preeminent supplier of satellite services to the UK broadcast market and as a significant customer to the major satellite providers. This position enables us to benefit from the best market rates and offer tremendous value to our customers, alongside our other SNG service offerings. We will continue to use this position of strength to ensure the very best services, utilising the very latest in innovative technology, and continuing to drive and lead the provision of SNG services in the UK.”

James Clement, Head of Operations at Sky Sports said ‘NEP Connect has provided Sky Sports with uplink facilities and satellite capacity for a number of years and we are pleased to be signing a new contract for satellite capacity for Sky Sports and Sky Sports News.  It is difficult to predict what the future will hold for live sports and sports news, but we have confidence that SIS can deliver whatever we might need and after our successful 4K trials with SIS back in August, we look forward to continuing to offer the best viewing experience for our customers, supported by SIS, one of our most dedicated suppliers.’

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