Arqiva’s acquisition of BT’s satellite broadcast services business was successfully completed at the end of March. The _25 million cash deal includes long-term customer contracts, operations and personnel located in the USA, France, Italy and Holland, as well as the UK.
The acquisition provides significant infrastructure to extend Arqiva’s operations, including teleports in the UK, Paris, Washington DC and Los Angeles, adding breadth of service, flexibility and long-term security for customers.
Nick Thompson, managing director of Arqiva’s Satellite Media Solutions division, said: “This acquisition extends our physical presence across mainland Europe and into the USA, an important next step for Arqiva. It gives us a significantly increased product portfolio to offer our customers, improving our satellite reach and the ability to serve our customers personally on a near worldwide basis. The acquisition combines two organisations recognised as market leaders and creates one of the largest global satellite and media solutions businesses. Our short term focus is to ensure that the integration process goes smoothly and that we ensure our customers are well informed of progress.”
Barry Bonnett, CEO of BT Media & Broadcast, added: “We’re delighted to have reached this agreement with Arqiva and believe it’s an excellent outcome for customers and staff alike. This is core business for Arqiva and they have previously demonstrated successful integration capabilities. A feature of the deal is that Arqiva will become a preferred partner to BT in providing satellite broadcast services to integrate into BT’s media solutions for our customers. We expect a smooth transition with no disruption for customers and excellent prospects for all our staff transferring.”
