Luxembourg – Intelsat announced a contract with Nine Network Australia to distribute programming to the company’s six domestic television stations as well as provide global satellite and fiber connectivity using the IntelsatOne terrestrial network to bring news content and special events from around the world to Australia for its network affiliates.

Nine Network Australia (NNA) is one of the country’s top-rated commercial television networks, with local stations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Darwin, along with a regional broadcaster, NBN. The network also has news bureaus in Canberra, London and Los Angeles. NNA is a subsidiary of Nine Entertainment Co., one of Australia’s leading media companies.

Intelsat initially is providing services via the Australia/New Zealand Ku-Band beam on Intelsat 19 for the network’s broadcasting requirement. Under the agreement, Intelsat’s network support will extend well into the next decade.

“Our Globalized Network allows us to meet NNA’s needs today and to increase our level of support if the network expands over time to meet the demands of multi-platform coverage,” said Terry Bleakley, Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific Sales, Intelsat. “NNA will also benefit from Intelsat’s global coverage for international contribution and distribution requirements.”

NNA previously used Intelsat for its domestic and international occasional use requirements. Most recently, NNA chose Intelsat to provide short-term services for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro using Intelsat 29e.