AVG To Launch DTH Service in Vietnam

SES WORLD SKIES satellite at 95 degrees East expands presence in Indochina

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — SES WORLD SKIES, a division of SES S.A. (Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) today announced that it has signed a multi-year agreement with AUDIO VISUAL COMPANY JSC (AVG), a joint stock company of An Vien Group, to provide transponder capacity on the NSS-6 satellite for their new direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television service in Vietnam.

AVG plans to initially offer up to 80 channels of television programming in Vietnam, with service scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2010. At launch, the service will utilize two and a half transponders. AVG has an option for one more transponder, which it expects to exercise in mid-2011.

States Pham Nhat Vu, CEO of An Vien Group: “We selected SES WORLD SKIES high-powered NSS-6 satellite because of its optimal DTH coverage of our target market. SES is also a large satellite operator with a fleet of 44 satellites and several more under construction; therefore we felt that a relationship with such a large and stable partner will ensure that our DTH business will be protected and secure as we grow this business in Vietnam.”

Scott Sprague, Senior Vice President, Sales at SES WORLD SKIES, added: “Vietnam is one of the fastest growing pay-TV markets in Asia-Pacific. SES WORLD SKIES is proud to have partnered with the only fully private pay-TV operator in Vietnam, and plans to support AVG’s fast and robust growth strategy in that market.”

SES WORLD SKIES’ 95 degrees East and 108.2 degrees East orbital slots form an important video neighborhood in Asia. With a dozen operators, more than 450 channels, and more than 30 million homes, SES satellites in these two slots have become a neighborhood of choice for programmers and DTH operators wishing to penetrate the Asian market. SES recently invested in a new satellite, SES-7 (previously known as Protostar 2), to be co-located at 108.2 degrees East.