Olympusat Formally Launches Telecom Division

Is providing streaming media and other telecommunications services to clients

By George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/8/2012 7:36:18 PM

Olympusat Holdings, Inc., which is already a major owner and distributor of Spanish-language pay-television networks and a provider of specialty and faith-based networks in the U.S., is expanding its business with the formal launch of a new division that will provide streaming media and other telecommunications services in the U.S. and Latin America.

C. Austin Powers, the president of Olympusat Telecom, noted in an interview that the company has long provided has long provided a complete set of services for the distribution of linear TV networks and decided to set up the new division in response to repeated client requests help in distributing their content to digital platforms.

"Everyone seems to be looking for additional distribution of content to more and more platforms," noted Powers, who is drawing on 25 years of experience in the telecommunication industry as the head of Olympusat Telecom. "We hope to provide those services to our existing broadcast clients and then to a much wider range of outside companies."

The unit will be particularly focused on streaming media and cloud-based video solutions, but it will also be offering fiber connectivity, video conferencing, "HD scanning, production and post-production services as well as film restoration and color correction and satellite transport" Powers noted.

As part of the development of its telecommunications services in the U.S. and Latin America, Olympusat Telecom has partnered with a number of vendors and service providers to offer clients a wide range of services and providers. These partners include Kit Digital, Akamai, Level 3, Comcast Business Class, Century Link, Hibernia Media, Windstream, AT&T/ACC Business and Strangeloop Networks.

The unit began quietly working with clients six months ago, Powers notes and is already cash flow positive. The company is not revealing specific clients names but noted that they included a number of companies that were using Olympusat for linear TV broadcast services.

Olympusat owns 18 channels, including 14 Spanish language services, and is a major distributor of specialty, family and faith-oriented channels. With the launch of the new division, it is also hoping to build on its experience in the ethnic market to tap into a growing interest in distributing Hispanic and other ethnic content to multiple platforms.