SES has announced that Turkish public broadcaster, Turkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu (TRT), has selected SES to reach audiences in sub-Saharan Africa.

TRT will use capacity on SES-5 located at 5 degrees East to broadcast its free-to-air digital channel TRT Turk and its radio channel Turkiyenin Sesi Radyosu (TRS) to the region using the satellite's unique Ka-band uplink capabilities, allowing for flexible operations between Europe and Africa.

With a line-up of almost 500 TV channels and access to nearly 25 million homes across Europe and Africa, SES' 5 degrees East orbital position provides growth opportunities for broadcasters and offers a wider choice of TV programmes for viewers.

SES-5 was launched in July 2012 and complements SES' successful ASTRA 4A satellite at this orbital position providing additional and extended coverage over South Africa, North Africa, Europe and the Atlantic Ocean.

Norbert Holzle, Senior Vice President Commercial Europe of SES, said: "We are happy to extend our partnership with TRT Turk and look forward to broadcasting the Turkish channel to new audiences in sub-Saharan Africa where demand for digital TV content is constantly growing. Satellite is the most ideal form of infrastructure to broadcast TV content to a wide audience across large geographical regions."

Ibrahim Sahin, General Manager of TRT, said: "We rely on SES' expertise and global satellite fleet to reach important audiences and markets outside of Turkey. We already rely on SES' prime orbital position 19.2 degrees East to reach our audiences in Western Europe.

The use of SES-5 will give us immediate access to sub-Saharan Africa and provide our target audience with premium news, culture and entertainment programs made in Turkey."

TRT Turk and TSR can be received via 5 degrees East at 12034 H DVB-S 27500 FEC 3/4.