International broadcast services company WRN Broadcast announced that it has won a major contract with Wananchi to provide encoding, multiplexing and fibre delivery of more than 12 channels for distribution on Zuku, Kenya’s first triple-play service. The channels include MSNBC, Eurosport News, Nickelodeon and Bloomberg, with more to follow.
WRN Broadcast will provide Wananchi with the ability to receive services from virtually any broadcaster worldwide, using WRN Broadcast’s London teleport, international satellite network and global fibre connectivity. WRN Broadcast will then encode and multiplex all services into one transport stream for onward delivery via the company’s POPS at major international data centres and dedicated fibre to Wananchi’s base in Nairobi.
Euan Fannell, CEO, Wananchi Group, says, “Our Zuku platform is East Africa’s first triple-play provider and enables local viewers to watch the best local and international content. WRN Broadcast’s unique delivery solution offers our subscribers the opportunity to watch previously unreachable channels from around the world.”
Services for Wananchi will be operated through WRN Broadcast’s brand new Media Centre, which features a state-of-the-art RF system, Tandberg IRD’s and brand new Harmonic Pro Stream 1000 multiplexers.
David Treadway, MD, WRN Broadcast, adds, “Wananchi needed a partner that could offer a robust delivery method, due to the high profile nature of the channels and the strict SLAs in the carriage agreements. We can provide a reliable, cost-effective solution due to our unique location, operation through our new Media Centre and our international satellite and fibre connectivity, which gives us the ability to downlink almost all satellites worldwide.”
