Eutelsat renews Latin America satellite deal with Multimedios Televisión for Spanish-language TV

Multimedios Televisión has signed a renewed multi-year satellite capacity deal with Eutelsat (Euronext Paris / London: ETL), reaffirming its long-standing broadcast collaboration across Mexico and Central America. The latest agreement secures C-band capacity on the EUTELSAT 117 West A satellite, ensuring continued delivery of Spanish-language free-to-air (FTA) programming to millions of viewers across cable and terrestrial platforms.

This strategic extension marks a continuation of a 25-year relationship between Eutelsat and Multimedios Televisión, one of Mexico’s most prominent national broadcasters and a division of media conglomerate Grupo Multimedios. The new deal strengthens Eutelsat’s positioning as a core video distribution partner in Latin America, and signals confidence in the EUTELSAT 117 West A satellite’s reliability for regional content providers.

How does this satellite capacity renewal strengthen content distribution for Multimedios Televisión?

Multimedios Televisión operates as a key Spanish-language broadcaster with reach across northeast and northcentral Mexico, as well as cross-border markets in the southwestern United States, Costa Rica, and IPTV households across Latin America. Its programming slate covers live news, sports, entertainment, children’s shows, and general variety content — much of it locally produced.

Under the renewed capacity deal, Multimedios will continue to leverage EUTELSAT 117 West A’s C-band coverage to distribute content to cable headends and Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) transmission sites in Mexico and Costa Rica. This infrastructure forms the backbone of the broadcaster’s regional network, particularly in areas where terrestrial infrastructure remains limited or inconsistent.

With a strong emphasis on service continuity and signal robustness, the agreement ensures that Multimedios can maintain a stable and wide-reaching broadcast footprint without disruption. C-band capacity is especially valuable for resisting signal degradation due to weather, which is critical in tropical zones prone to heavy rainfall.

Why does EUTELSAT 117 West A remain vital to Latin American broadcasters?

The EUTELSAT 117 West A satellite has become an established anchor point for content distribution in Latin America’s video ecosystem. It is positioned within a high-demand orbital slot that allows coverage over Mexico, Central America, and parts of the Caribbean and the U.S., enabling pan-regional broadcast delivery. As part of Eutelsat’s broader video strategy in the Americas, the satellite hosts a cluster of key FTA and pay-TV channels.

With this new agreement, Eutelsat has reinforced its reputation as a preferred distribution platform for FTA networks looking to reach Spanish-speaking audiences in under-connected regions. The contract also demonstrates continued demand for geostationary (GEO) broadcast services in parallel with rising low-Earth orbit (LEO) broadband deployments.

Eutelsat, following its 2023 combination with OneWeb, now operates as the first integrated GEO-LEO satellite operator. While its LEO network focuses on mobile and fixed connectivity, the GEO segment remains central for video, supporting over 6,400 channels globally.

What has been the institutional reaction to Eutelsat’s long-term regional play?

Institutional sentiment has remained broadly positive around Eutelsat’s hybrid model, particularly in emerging markets where demand for both linear TV and broadband is expected to coexist for at least another decade. Analysts tracking satellite infrastructure have noted that GEO video contracts — while mature — still provide high-margin, multi-year cash flows that balance the upfront capital intensity of LEO network expansion.

The Multimedios contract, though not disclosed in value, is viewed as a reaffirmation of Eutelsat’s ability to preserve long-term anchor clients in the face of changing technology and market structure. Institutional investors have interpreted the deal as stabilizing for Eutelsat’s video business, which has faced moderate headwinds in more saturated European markets.

According to indirect statements by Eutelsat executives, long-term partners such as Multimedios provide essential commercial visibility and operational synergy, allowing the satellite operator to optimize transponder usage and ground infrastructure deployment in specific regions.

What are Eutelsat and Multimedios saying about the renewal and future roadmap?

Speaking on the renewed agreement, Jose Ignacio Gonzalez-Nuñez, SVP of America Sales for Eutelsat’s Video Business Unit, described Multimedios as a “pillar of our video neighbourhood in Mexico.” He noted that the contract demonstrates continued confidence in Eutelsat’s infrastructure and its commitment to supporting Spanish-language FTA broadcasters at scale.

Meanwhile, Orlando García Valle, Director de Operaciones at Multimedios Televisión, stated that Eutelsat has remained “a trusted partner for more than 25 years.” He emphasized that the new deal will help ensure uninterrupted content delivery and consistent broadcast quality across Latin America, reinforcing Multimedios’ mission to bring culturally relevant content to millions of Spanish-speaking homes.

Both parties positioned the renewal as a vote of confidence in satellite’s role within Latin America’s evolving media landscape, especially as cable/IPTV penetration grows and competition intensifies from streaming platforms.

How is Eutelsat positioning itself in the global satellite communications market?

Eutelsat has spent the past two years aggressively repositioning itself as a dual-mode operator capable of delivering both high-throughput broadband and traditional video distribution. Its merger with OneWeb created a vertically integrated operator with 34 geostationary satellites and a LEO constellation of over 600 units, serving four primary segments: video, mobile connectivity, fixed connectivity, and government services.

As of 2025, Eutelsat distributes approximately 6,400 TV channels worldwide, including a significant footprint in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. The French satellite firm remains headquartered in Paris, with more than 1,600 employees across 75 countries.

While the company continues to invest in next-generation payloads and new coverage zones, its legacy GEO assets — such as EUTELSAT 117 West A — remain strategically important for retaining long-term broadcast clients and regional media groups like Grupo Multimedios.

What is the future outlook for Latin American satellite broadcasting partnerships?

Analysts believe that while the growth curve for satellite video in Latin America is stabilizing, renewals like this indicate that traditional broadcast remains economically and culturally relevant, particularly in hybrid distribution ecosystems. The region’s relatively lower fiber penetration and patchy terrestrial infrastructure continue to support demand for satellite backbone services.

Given rising competition from OTT streaming services and mobile-first platforms, broadcasters such as Multimedios are expected to adopt more integrated delivery strategies — combining satellite distribution with IP-based overlays. However, C-band satellite remains the most resilient and cost-effective option for wide-area signal distribution, especially in rural and peri-urban zones.

For Eutelsat, anchoring partnerships with national broadcasters is key to defending its regional footprint as the LEO market develops. The company’s focus appears to be on hybrid service models that can support both mass-media distribution and high-throughput connectivity, bridging the digital divide while serving established clients.