ESPN STAR Sports to Use Loral Skynet and Ascent Media To Carry Video Feeds Across Asia

ESPN STAR Sports to Use Loral Skynet and Ascent Media To Carry Video Feeds Across Asia

BEDMINSTER, N.J., June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Loral Skynet today announced that it has signed an agreement with Ascent Media Network Services Asia (AMNSA), Singapore, to provide satellite capacity and access management services to ESPN STAR Sports. Using dedicated C-band bandwidth on Loral's Telstar 18 satellite and occasional-use C-band capacity on both Telstar 18 and Telstar 10, ESPN STAR Sports will uplink live video from sporting events across Asia to its Singapore production facility for rebroadcast to cable operators or direct broadcast service providers in Asia.

"The broad reach of Skynet's Asian satellites allows Skynet and its partner Ascent Media Network Services to provide comprehensive regional backhaul coverage to programmers like ESPN STAR Sports," said Patrick Brant, president, Loral Skynet. "Since it entered service last year, Telstar 18 has exceeded our business expectations in terms of utilization. We look forward to working with Ascent Media and its customers as our relationship continues to expand in this important region of the world."

ESPN STAR Sports, a joint venture between ESPN Inc. and STAR, is Asia's definitive and complete sports provider with thirteen networks spanning the region - ESPN Asia, ESPN India, ESPN Taiwan, ESPN Singapore, ESPN Philippines, MBC-ESPN (Korea), ESPN Hong Kong, STAR Sports Hong Kong, Xing Kong Sports, STAR Sports India, STAR Sports Taiwan, STAR Sports S.E.A and STAR Sports Singapore. Feeds for all thirteen networks are aggregated and produced in Singapore, and then redistributed across Asia, in line with local audience preferences.

Telstar 18, located at 138 degrees East longitude, and Telstar 10, located at 76.5 degrees East longitude, are powerful Space Systems/Loral-built 1300 satellites whose combined coverage area stretches from Western Europe and the Middle East, across Central Asia through the Indian sub-continent, to China, Korea, Japan, South East Asia, Australia and the U.S. through Hawaii. The satellites host a variety of video and data services, including SkyReach(SM), Loral Skynet's IP-based two-way broadband service.

In addition to full-time bandwidth services, Skynet offers occasional use services in Asia on both Telstar 18 and Telstar 10 through a separate agreement with AMNSA. Skynet provides these part-time services through AMNSA's 24x7 booking and customer support center, offering customers access to a cost-efficient platform for delivering breaking news stories, planned events, or regularly scheduled recurring feeds.

Ascent Media Network Services specializes in video distribution and post- production services, with facilities in Los Angeles, CA; New York; NY; Stamford, CT; Minneapolis, MN; London, and Singapore. Channel origination, master control, creative services and transmission are among the many offerings utilized by the major broadcast and cable networks as well as other content providers. In addition, the group provides a full array of engineering and technical services for broadcast, cable, satellite, and corporate clients.

Ascent Media Group is a provider of services to media entertainment industries, offering clients effective solutions for the creation, management and distribution of content through more than 70 facilities worldwide. Ascent Media Group (http://www.ascentmedia.com/) is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA.

A pioneer in the satellite industry, Loral Skynet delivers the superior service quality and range of satellite solutions that have made it an industry leader for more than 40 years. Through the broad coverage of the Telstar satellite fleet, in combination with its hybrid VSAT/fiber global network infrastructure, Skynet meets the needs of companies around the world for broadcast and data network services, Internet access, IP and systems integration. Headquartered in Bedminster, New Jersey, Loral Skynet is dedicated to providing secure, high-quality connectivity and communications. For more information, visit the Loral Skynet web site at http://www.loralskynet.com/.

In addition to being the parent company of Loral Skynet, Loral Space & Communications (BULLETIN BOARD: LRLSQ) is a world-class leader in the design and manufacture of satellites and satellite systems for commercial and government applications through its Space Systems/Loral subsidiary. For more information, visit the Loral Space & Communications web site at http://www.loral.com/.

Note to Editors: Telstar 18 carries a total of 54 active transponders, of which sixteen are high-power Ku-band transponders and thirty-eight are C-band transponders. In consideration for funding a portion of the satellite project's cost, APT Satellite Company Limited, Hong Kong, will initially use 68.5 percent of Telstar 18's transponder capacity for APSTAR-V services. The number of transponders used by APT will be reduced over time, ultimately to 54 percent of the satellite's capacity.

This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In addition, Loral Space & Communications Ltd. or its representatives have made or may make forward- looking statements, orally or in writing, which may be included in, but are not limited to, various filings made by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, press releases or oral statements made with the approval of an authorized executive officer of the company. Actual results could differ materially from those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements as a result of a wide variety of factors and conditions. These factors include those related to the filing, on July 15, 2003 by Loral and certain of its subsidiaries, of voluntary petitions for reorganization under chapter 11 of title 11 of the United States Code in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and parallel insolvency proceedings in the Supreme Court of Bermuda in which certain partners of KPMG were appointed as joint provisional liquidators. Under Loral's proposed Plan of Reorganization, the company's existing common and preferred stock will be cancelled and no distribution will be made to the holders of such stock. A hearing for the court to consider confirmation of the Plan is currently scheduled for July 13, 2005. Additional factors and conditions are also described in the section of the company's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004, entitled "Commitments and Contingencies," and the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The reader is specifically referred to these documents.

Source: Loral Skynet

CONTACT: John McCarthy, of Loral Skynet, +1-212-338-5345

Web site: http://www.loral.com/
http://www.loralskynet.com/
http://www.ascentmedia.com/

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