Beximco Digital to use Bangabandhu Satellite-1 to distribute foreign pay TV channels

Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited (BSCL) has signed an agreement with Beximco Digital Distribution Limited (BDDL), under which BDDL will use Bangabandhu Satellite-1 (BS-1) to distribute foreign clean-feed pay-TV channels in Bangladesh, says a press release.

BDDL, part of Beximco Group - the largest in the private sector in Bangladesh, will be the first and only foreign pay-TV channel distributor to get downlinking services from the BS-1 under this agreement.

Md. Shafiqul Islam, Managing Director of BSCL, and Jamanul Bahar of BDDL formally signed the agreement on behalf of the respective organisations in Dhaka on Wednesday. Among others, high officials of both the organisations attended the ceremony.

BSCL Chairman and CEO Dr. Shahjahan Mahmood said Beximco is the biggest customer of BSCL. "Today we have signed another agreement with Beximco for distributing eight foreign Clean-feed Pay-TV channels using BS-1. I believe, the cooperation between BSCL & Beximco will grow even further in the coming days. In continuation of this historic deal, there is a good possibility of other foreign TV channels to be added through BS-1."

"Bangladesh is on the cusp of a revolution in digital and HD adoption. The conversion from analogue to digital television broadcasting will provide newer and more secure ways of distribution of contents which include Cable, IPTV, OTT and DTH", said Shayan F Rahman, Chairman, Beximco Digital Distribution Limited.

"The most predominant form of TV distribution is currently through millions of analogue cable connections which have no protection for consumers, limited capacity to carry channels, poor picture quality, lack of service, lack of addressability and no interactive services and critically rampant with piracy related to the TV channels which leads to the government deprived of substantial tax income and lower revenues for broadcasters"