9 ADDITIONAL ASTRA TRANSPONDER CONTRACTS AT 28.2° EAST FOR SKYDIGITAL

Following the successful launch of SkyDigital in October 1998, BSkyB has completed 10-year contracts with SES for nine additional digital transponders on the ASTRA Satellite System at 28.2° East targeting the UK and Ireland.

BSkyB has contracted 6 additional transponders on the ASTRA 2A satellite as well as 3 transponders on the upcoming ASTRA 2B spacecraft. ASTRA 2B is scheduled for launch in the third quarter of this year and will be co-positioned with ASTRA 2A at the orbital location of 28.2° East.

BSkyB will use the additional transmission capacity to develop the SkyDigital channel line-up and further enhance the SkyDigital offering. Since its launch on October 1, 1998, SkyDigital has attracted more than 350,000 subscribers, which to date represents the fastest take-up of digital television anywhere in the world.

Says Ian West, Managing Director of Sky Entertainment: "This long term commitment demonstrates BSkyB and SES' shared belief in the successful future of satellite delivered digital services and underlines BSkyB's confidence in the ASTRA Satellite System".

Comments Romain Bausch, Director General and Chairman of the Management Committee of SES: "Together with BSkyB, we are developing ASTRA at 28.2° East as the prime orbital position for digital services targeted at the UK and Ireland. The long-standing co-operation between BSkyB and SES has now resulted in a total of 23 transponders contracted between the two companies for the successful development of digital satellite TV in the UK."

BSkyB also renews analogue capacity on
ASTRA 1A at 19.2° East

BSkyB has also renewed their four analogue transponder contracts on ASTRA 1A until at least year-end 2002 and has retained the option of extending the contracts beyond this date.

The four ASTRA 1A transponders are currently used to transmit Sky One, Sky News, Fox Kids, National Geographic and Sky MovieMax, key channels as part of BSkyB's analogue multi-channel proposition for the UK and Ireland.

1999 marks the tenth anniversary of multi-channel television in Europe with the launch of four channels on ASTRA 1A by Sky Television. SES and BSkyB hereby continue to support the DTH pay TV market in the UK and Ireland for consumer subscribing to the attractive line-up of analogue entertainment offered by Sky on ASTRA at 19.2° East.

Says Yves Elsen, Commercial & Marketing Director of SES : "The terms of this SES/BSkyB agreement recognise the continued success of analogue multi-channel television whilst providing the flexibility to allow for a smooth transition to the enhanced digital offer, following the successful launch of SkyDigital on ASTRA 2A at 28.2° East in October 1998".

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About BSkyB:

British Sky Broadcasting is the leading provider of sports, movies, entertainment and news on pay television in the UK and Ireland. BSkyB now boasts the largest subscriber base across all distribution platforms - at 31 December 1998, there were 7.07 million subscribers to BSkyB's services, 6.49 million in the UK and the remaining 576,000 in Eire.

About SES:

Société Européenne des Satellites S.A. (SES) is the operator of ASTRA, Europe's leading direct-to-home Satellite System. ASTRA transmits 377 television channels and 314 radio channels in analogue and digital to an audience of 74.5 million homes in Europe. ASTRA currently comprises eight geostationary satellites, seven of which are co-located at the orbital position of 19.2° East. ASTRA 2A is located at SES' second orbital position of 28.2° East to provide satellite digital services to the UK and Ireland. ASTRA 2B will be co-positioned at 28.2° East during the 3rd Quarter, 1999.