Satellite giants SES, Hispasat and Eutelsat promote Ultra High Definition at the 4K HDR Summit 2025

• The presence of SES, Hispasat and Eutelsat reinforces the role of satellite as a driver of next-generation television development, thanks to its ability to distribute content in maximum UHD, 4K and HDR quality with global coverage, high bandwidth and stable signal quality, even in areas with limited terrestrial infrastructure.
• The eleventh edition of the 4K HDR Summit will take place from 11 to 14 November, with two in-person days (Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12) at the Cartuja Auditorium –managed by Yventu– at Sevilla TechPark and another two virtual days.

Total coverage, signal stability and high bandwidth capacity. These are the three main advantages that satellite infrastructure offers over any existing terrestrial infrastructure. In recent years, satellite has positioned itself as an essential technology for the development and dissemination of Ultra High Definition, and its contribution to the audiovisual industry is becoming increasingly important.

Thanks to their universal reach, satellites allow the same 4K television signal to reach homes, terrestrial operators and hybrid platforms around the world with consistent quality, even in regions where fibre or 5G networks are not yet sufficiently deployed. Furthermore, the combination of standards such as DVB-S2X and DVB-SIS is paving the way for hybrid distribution models that integrate satellite and terrestrial from a single UHD source.

Innovation and leadership from space in the UHD era

All this and much more will be discussed at the eleventh edition of the 4K HDR Summit, to be held from 11 to 14 November at the Cartuja Auditorium –managed by Yventu– at Sevilla TechPark, with two face-to-face days (Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12) and two virtual days (Thursday 13 and Friday 14). This summit, “where technology and content have time to talk “, will be attended by more than 70 experts in 4K and UHD, including representatives from the three global giants in the satellite sector: SES, Hispasat and Eutelsat.

The presence of SES, Hispasat and Eutelsat at the 4K HDR Summit 2025 reinforces the role of satellite as a driver of next-generation television development, thanks to its ability to distribute content in maximum UHD, 4K and HDR quality with global coverage, high bandwidth and stable signal quality, even in areas with limited terrestrial infrastructure.

SES: a global pioneer in Ultra HD platforms

SES, a global leader with more than 90 satellites in service and a pioneer in the deployment of UHD platforms since 2013, has driven the expansion of this technology in Europe and Latin America. Since its first demonstration more than a decade ago, SES has been a benchmark in the evolution of Ultra High Definition television, promoting a multitude of commercial UHD channels and developing distribution solutions for broadcasters and operators around the world.

With one of the largest commercial fleets in orbit, SES will present its expertise in creating UHD platforms and broadcasting major international events in Seville. In fact, its infrastructure has enabled UHD coverage of sporting competitions, concerts and global events, ensuring a stable, high-quality signal to millions of households.

At this edition of the 4K HDR Summit, Michele Gosetti Di Sturmeck, VP, Sports & Events & New Media at SES, will share the company’s latest innovations in satellite distribution and new audiovisual services, including ASTRATV, a proposal that makes all the main national DTT channels available to everyone.

Michele Gosetti Di Sturmeck, VP, Sports & Events & New Media at SES.

Thanks to its comprehensive satellite coverage, ASTRATV guarantees perfect reception even in areas where terrestrial signals are difficult to receive, making it particularly suitable for second homes or for enjoying television on the move. With simple installation, users can access their favourite channels with the best image quality, benefiting from the reliability and technological expertise of SES.

Eutelsat: the UHD revolution from Hot Bird satellites

Eutelsat, one of the world’s leading satellite operators, will bring its expertise in global UHD content distribution and in adapting the sector to new forms of audiovisual consumption to the 4K HDR Summit 2025. Cristiano Benzi, Senior Vice President Global Video Product Development at Eutelsat Group, will address the challenges and opportunities facing the industry in its transition to IP environments and hybrid platforms in his presentation entitled “4K, IP, FAST, LEO: how satellite is adapting to a rapidly evolving media environment”.

Cristiano Benzi, Senior Vice President Global Video Product Development at Eutelsat Group.

Benzi will explain how the ubiquity of the Internet Protocol (IP) in the distribution and delivery of video content has transformed consumption habits and driven satellite operators to evolve towards new service models. During his presentation, he will showcase the products and solutions that Eutelsat is developing to seamlessly integrate IP technology into its portfolio of services, which combines geostationary (GEO) and low-orbit (LEO) satellites to provide efficient global coverage.

With more than 24 years of experience in the group and renowned expertise in television production and technologies, Cristiano Benzi has led various areas within Eutelsat — from Operations and Marketing to Product Development and Sales — and represents the company on the DVB Steering Board. He is also a director of the Forum Audiovisuel Numérique (FAVN) in France and was president of the HD Forum Italia for three years.

Hispasat: Spain’s UHD projection

Spanish satellite telecommunications operator Hispasat will showcase its contribution to the expansion of Ultra High Definition in Europe and Latin America at the summit. Jorge Rodríguez, Head of Product and Marketing at Hispasat, will present the company’s vision for the present and future of Ultra High Definition (UHD), highlighting the role of satellite as an efficient and sustainable means of distribution. “Satellite is the second most energy-efficient option, behind only DTT, and much more sustainable than IPTV or Internet streaming,” he says.

Jorge Rodríguez, Head of Product and Marketing at Hispasat, during the tenth edition of the 4K HDR Summit held in 2024.

With extraordinary growth in Latin America, where it offers direct-to-home and over-the-top (OTT) television services, reaching more than 1.4 million users and broadcasting 860 channels, 330 of which are operated directly, Hispasat has positioned itself as one of the leading global satellite service providers.

In his speech, Jorge Rodríguez will talk about the challenges facing Ultra High Definition in Spain, considering that one of the priorities is to promote the transition from DTT to UHD, as currently only RTVE broadcasts in this format. In addition, improving communication and dissemination so that users understand what UHD is and perceive its value is crucial for the technology to take hold in the near future.

The 4K HDR Summit 2025 is organised by Medina Media Events and supported by RTVE, Appear, Ateme, RTVA, Elecard, AJA, Axion, Aicox with Small Pixels, Google, UWA, Lawo, SES, Synamedia, Rohde & Schwarz, Eutelsat, Gsertel, Techex, Cisco, Vestel, Toshiba, JVC, Daewoo, Canon, Cellnex, Hispasat, Alfalite, Netgear, Mome, Datos Media, Telestream, Sapec, AEQ and Avixa, among others.

All conferences will be available for viewing on demand through ‘The Observatory’, Medina Media Events’ digital platform, where each conference can be viewed throughout the year, 24 hours a day, free of charge.