• Three-year all-inclusive channel delivery package for ‘propeller'
• Connectivity, uplinking and satellite capacity
• National showcase for film and TV talent, produced in Yorkshire

IBC, Amsterdam (Stand 1.259): Arqiva has secured a three-year contract from The Image Channel Company for a new Yorkshire-based TV channel called ‘propeller' on digital satellite.  The £1m+ deal will showcase young film and television talent on the Sky Digital platform from January 2006

The initiative is backed by the government via Yorkshire Forward, a regional development fund.  Content will be produced by students, from a studio within Grimsby Institute for Further & Higher Education which already produces content for a local channel on cable.  The facility has been expanded to cater for the new satellite channel and is connected by fibre to Arqiva's Crawley Court teleport.

‘propeller' will showcase the UK's best new talent, from film producers to software designers, to a potential audience of hundreds of millions of viewers across Europe.  It will also provide students from the region with a valuable opportunity to access educational material and to demonstrate their abilities in the world of digital media.

Simon Couth, Chief Executive of The Image Channel Company, said: "We're very excited about getting this channel onto the Sky platform and delighted with the help we've had from Arqiva.  Our aim is to support and encourage a new generation of TV and film talent - those in front of the camera and behind it - with an opportunity to reach both a national audience and capture the attention of those capable of helping propel their careers forward.  For anyone excited by ground breaking, young-at-heart content the channel will be a revelation."

Simon Thrush, Commercial Director, Broadcast Services in Arqiva's satellite solutions division, says: "This is a another good example of how our channel package can get a new entrant on-air with the minimum of fuss.  And with Arqiva you don't need to be in London as we have the network to support a channel wherever it's based.  In addition there's the benefit of our end-to-end service, experience and back-up as we deal with the practical details to make it all happen.  propeller has our full support and we wish them the very best."