ENTERTAINMENT INC
POS EX, 1999-08-11
CABLE & OTHER PAY TELEVISION SERVICES
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<PAGE>   1

                                                   REGISTRATION NO. 333 -- 29869
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              Washington, DC 20549
                      ------------------------------------

                                 POST-EFFECTIVE
                                AMENDMENT NO. 1
                                       TO
                                    Form S-1

                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                     UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                      ------------------------------------

                             @ ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
<TABLE>
<S>                                 <C>                                <C>
            DELAWARE                              4841                           06--1487156
(State or Other Jurisdiction of       (Primary Standard Industrial             (I.R.S. Employer
 Incorporation or Organization)       Classification Code Number)            Identification No.)
</TABLE>

                              ONE COMMERCIAL PLAZA
                            HARTFORD, CT 06103-3585
                                 (860) 549-1674
          (Address, including Zip Code and Telephone Number, including
            Area Code, of Registrant's Principal Executive Offices)
                      ------------------------------------
                             ROBERT E. FOWLER, III
                             @ ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
                              ONE COMMERCIAL PLAZA
                            HARTFORD, CT 06103-3585
                                 (860) 549-1674
               (Address, including Zip Code and Telephone Number,
                   including Area Code, of Agent for Service)
                      ------------------------------------
                                   COPIES TO:

<TABLE>
<S>                                                    <C>
                MARC R. PAUL, ESQ.                                   PAMELA M. GIBSON, ESQ.
                 BAKER & McKENZIE                                      SHEARMAN & STERLING
           815 CONNECTICUT AVENUE, N.W.                                  199 BISHOPSGATE
               WASHINGTON, DC 20006                                      LONDON EC2M 3TY
                                                                             ENGLAND
</TABLE>

                      ------------------------------------
     If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on
a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended, check the following box. [ ]

     If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering
pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and
list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective
registration statement for the same offering. [ ]

     If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c)
under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act
registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement
for the same offering. [ ]

     If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d)
under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act
registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement
for the same offering. [X] 333-29869

     If delivery of the prospectus is expected to be made pursuant to Rule 434,
please check the following box. [ ]
                      ------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


<PAGE>   2

EXPLANATORY NOTE

     This Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form
S-1 (File No. 333-29869) of @ Entertainment, Inc. (the "Registration Statement")
is filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) of the Securities Act solely for the purpose of
re-filing Exhibits 10.19, 10.20 and 10.21 to the Registration Statement for
which confidential treatment was previously granted and subsequently has been
extended by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
<PAGE>   3

                                    PART II

                     INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

ITEM 16.  EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

     (a) Exhibits

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
EXHIBIT
NUMBER                       DESCRIPTION OF EXHIBIT
- -------                      ----------------------
<C>       <S>
  1.1*    Form of Underwriting Agreement.
  2.1*    Contribution Agreement among Polish Investment Holdings, LP
          ("PIHLP"), ECO Holdings III Limited Partnership ("ECO"),
          Roger M. Freedman, Steele LLC, the AESOP Fund, LP, the
          Cheryl Anne Chase Marital Trust (the "CACMT") and @
          Entertainment, Inc. dated at June 22, 1997.
  2.2*    Purchase Agreement among ECO, @ Entertainment, Inc. and L.
          Ciesffia International, Inc. dated at June 22, 1997.
  3.1*    Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of @
          Entertainment, Inc. dated at June 22, 1997.
  3.2*    Bylaws of @ Entertainment, Inc. as amended through July 14,
          1997.
  3.3*    Shareholders Agreement among ECO, PIHLP, Roger M. Freedman,
          Steele LLC, the CACMT, the AESOP Fund, LP and @
          Entertainment, Inc. dated at June 22, 1997.
  3.4*    Termination Agreement among PCI, PIHLP, ECO, Roger M.
          Freedman, Steele LLC, the AESOP Fund, LP, and the CACMT
          dated at June 22, 1997.
  3.5*    Registration Rights Agreement among @ Entertainment, PIHLP,
          ECO, Roger Freedman, Steele LLC, the AESOP Fund, LP, and the
          CACMT dated at June 22, 1997 (the "Registration Rights
          Agreement").
  3.6*    Amendment to Registration Rights Agreement.
  4.1*    Form of Common Stock Certificate.
  5*      Opinion of Baker & McKenzie with respect to the legality of
          the securities being registered.
  8*      Opinion of Baker & McKenzie with respect to the certain tax
          matters.
  9.1*    Voting Agreement by and among PIHLP, Roger M. Freedman,
          Steele LLC, and the CACMT dated at June 22, 1997.
  9.2*    Side Letter dated June 22, 1997 regarding the Voting
          Agreement.
 10.1*    Indenture dated at October 31, 1996 between PCI and State
          Street Bank and Trust Company relating to PCI's 9 7/8%
          Senior Notes due 2003 and its 9 7/8% Series B Senior Notes
          due 2003. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.11 of
          PCI's Form S-4 Registration Statement, Registration No.
          333-20307).
 10.2*    Form of Management Agreement among PCI and subsidiaries.
 10.3*    Form of Service Agreement among PCI and subsidiaries.
 10.4*    Corporate Overhead Allocation Agreement among PCI and
          subsidiaries. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of
          PCI's Form S-4 Registration Statement, Registration No.
          333-20307).
 10.5*    Amendment to Service Agreement. (Incorporated by reference
          to Exhibit 10.5 of PCI's Form S-4 Registration Statement,
          Registration No. 333-20307).
 10.6*    Side Letter regarding Service Agreement. (Incorporated by
          reference to Exhibit 10.6 of PCI's Form S-4 Registration
          Statement, Registration No. 333-20307).
</TABLE>

                                      II-1
<PAGE>   4

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
EXHIBIT
NUMBER                       DESCRIPTION OF EXHIBIT
- -------                      ----------------------
<C>       <S>
 10.7*    Employment Agreement, dated at January 1, 1997, between PCI
          and Robert E. Fowler, III, including Stock Option Agreement.
          Assigned to @ Entertainment (See Exhibits 10.22 and 10.25).
          (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 of PCI's Form S-4
          Registration Statement, Registration No. 333-20307).
 10.8*    Deferred Compensation Agreement, dated at January 1, 1991,
          between Chase International Corporation (merged into World
          Cable Communications, Inc. ("WCCI"), now PCI) and Arnold L.
          Chase. Assigned to @ Entertainment (See Exhibits 10.22 and
          10.25). (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 of PCI's
          Form S-4 Registration Statement, Registration No.
          333-20307).
 10.9*    Employment Agreement, dated at January, 1997, between PCI
          and George Makowski, including Stock Option Agreement.
          Assigned to @ Entertainment (See Exhibits 10.22 and 10.25).
          (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 of PCI's Form
          S-4 Registration Statement, Registration No. 333-20307).
 10.10*   Employment Agreement, dated at September 1, 1996, between
          WCCI, and John Frelas, including Stock Option Agreement.
          Assigned to @ Entertainment (See Exhibit 10.22 and 10.25).
          (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 of PCI's Form
          S-4 Registration Statement, Registration No. 333-20307).
 10.11*   Employment Agreement, dated at February 7, 1997, between PCI
          and Przemyslaw A. Szmyt, as amended. Assigned to @
          Entertainment (See Exhibit 10.22 and 10.25).
 10.12*   Stock Option Agreement dated June 23, 1997 between @
          Entertainment and Przemyslaw A. Szmyt.
 10.13*   Employment Agreement, dated at January 1, 1997, between PCI
          and Marek Sowa, as amended. Assigned to @ Entertainment (See
          Exhibit 10.22).
 10.14*   Employment Agreement, dated April 7, 1997, between PCI and
          David Warner Assigned to @ Entertainment (See Exhibit
          10.22).
 10.15*   Stock Option Agreement dated at June 23, 1997 between @
          Entertainment and David Warner.
 10.16*   Stock Option Plan of @ Entertainment.
 10.17*   Employment Agreement, dated at January 1, 1996, between
          PTK-Warszawa S.A. and Andrzej Muras. (Incorporated by
          reference to Exhibit 10.15 of PCI's Form S-4 Registration
          Statement, Registration No. 333-20307).
 10.18*   Form of Agreement for Lease of Cable Conduits with
          Telekomunikacja Polska S.A.
 10.19+   Agreement for Digital Transmission on the Astra System
          between Societe Europeene des Satellites S.A. ("SES") and
          PCI Programming, Inc. (Mozaic Entertainment, Inc. (formerly,
          PCI Programming, Inc., "Mozaic") (ASTRA 1F Satellite) dated
          March 26, 1997.
 10.20+   Agreement for Digital Transmission on the Astra System
          between SES and Mozaic (ASTRA 1F Satellite) dated March 26,
          1997.
 10.21+   Agreement for Digital Transmission on the Astra System
          between SES and Mozaic (ASTRA 1E Satellite) dated March 27,
          1997.
 10.22*   Form of Assignment and Assumption Agreement related to
          employment contracts with certain of the executive officers
          of @ Entertainment.
 10.23*   Shareholders Agreement between Chase International
          Corporation, Frank N. Cooper, Rutter-Dunn Communications,
          Inc., Poland Cablevision U.S.A., Inc., and Poland
          Cablevision B.V. ("PCBV"), dated at March 8, 1990.
</TABLE>

                                      II-2
<PAGE>   5

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
EXHIBIT
NUMBER                       DESCRIPTION OF EXHIBIT
- -------                      ----------------------
<C>       <S>
 10.24*   Form of Assignment and Assumption Agreement related to stock
          option agreements with certain of the executives of @
          Entertainment.
 10.25*   Advisory Services Agreement between @ Entertainment and
          Handlowy Investments S.ar.l. dated at July 29, 1997.
 11.1*    Statement Regarding Calculation of Per Share Earnings.
 15*      Letter from KPMG Peat Marwick LLP regarding unaudited
          interim financial information.
 21*      List of subsidiaries of @ Entertainment.
 23.1*    Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP with respect to @
          Entertainment.
 23.2*    Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP with respect to Poland
          Cablevision (Netherlands) B.V.
 23.5*    Consent of Baker & McKenzie with respect to the legality of
          the securities being registered (contained in Exhibit 5).
 23.6*    Consent of Baker & McKenzie with respect to the certain tax
          matters (contained in Exhibit 8).
 25*      Power of Attorney (included on the signature page in Part II
          of this Registration Statement).
 27*      Financial Data Schedule.
</TABLE>

- ---------------

* Previously filed.

+ Extended confidential treatment has been granted with respect to portions of
this Exhibit. Such portions have been omitted and filed separately with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.

     (b) Financial Statement Schedules

     The following are included in Part II of this Registration Statement.

     Schedule II -- Valuation and Qualifying Accounts*
                 -- @ Entertainment, Inc.
                 -- Poland Cablevision (Netherlands) B.V.
- ---------------

* Previously filed.

                                      II-3
<PAGE>   6

                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant
has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement to
be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in
London, England, on the 11th day of August, 1999.

                                          @ Entertainment, Inc.

                                          By: /s/ ROBERT E. FOWLER, III
                                            ------------------------------------
                                            Robert E. Fowler, III
                                            Chief Executive Officer

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement has been signed by the
following persons in the capacities and on the dates stated:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                  SIGNATURE                                     TITLE                      DATE
                  ---------                                     -----                      ----
<C>                                              <S>                                  <C>
                      *                          Chairman of the Board of Directors   August 11, 1999
- ---------------------------------------------
               David T. Chase

                      *                          Director                             August 11, 1999
- ---------------------------------------------
               Arnold L. Chase

                      *                          Director                             August 11, 1999
- ---------------------------------------------
              Scott A. Lanphere

                      *                          Director                             August 11, 1999
- ---------------------------------------------
              Jerzy Z. Swirski

                                                 Director
- ---------------------------------------------
                David Chance

                                                 Director
- ---------------------------------------------
               Samuel Chisholm

                                                 Director
- ---------------------------------------------
              Agnieszka Holland

          /s/ ROBERT E. FOWLER, III              Chief Executive Officer and          August 11, 1999
- ---------------------------------------------    Director
            Robert E. Fowler, III                (Principal Executive Officer)

           /s/ DONALD MILLER-JONES               Chief Financial Officer              August 11, 1999
- ---------------------------------------------    (Principal Financial and Principal
             Donald Miller-Jones                 Accounting Officer)

       *By: /s/ ROBERT E. FOWLER, III
- ---------------------------------------------
            Robert E. Fowler, III
              Attorney-in-Fact
</TABLE>

<PAGE>   1
                                                                  Exhibit 10.19











                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL


                               -----------------
                                   AGREEMENT
                               -----------------



                  for digital transmission on the ASTRA system



                                    between



                     SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES S.A.



                                      and



                              PCI PROGRAMMING INC.









<PAGE>   2
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

<TABLE>

<S>    <C>                                                                   <C>
1.     Interpretation ......................................................   4

2.     Agreement ...........................................................   6

3.     Term ................................................................   6

4.     Charges .............................................................   6

5.     Spare TWTA ..........................................................   7

6.     Unavailability ......................................................   7

7.     Excluding Circumstances .............................................   8

8.     Interruption. Testing and Monitoring ................................   8

9.     Pre-emption .........................................................   9

10.    Use of Transponder and Encryption ...................................   9

11.    Service Information .................................................  10

12.    Compliance with Law .................................................  10

13.    SES' Authority ......................................................  10

14.    Assignment ..........................................................  10

15.    Termination .........................................................  11

16.    Effect of Termination ...............................................  11

17.    Force Majeure .......................................................  12

18.    Limitation of Liability - Exclusivity of Remedies ...................  12

19.    Indemnities .........................................................  12

20.    Confidentiality .....................................................  13

21.    Trademark - Logo and Press Releases .................................  13

22.    Notices .............................................................  13

23.    Severability ........................................................  14

24.    Waiver ..............................................................  14

25.    Entire Agreement ....................................................  14

26.    Amendment ...........................................................  14

</TABLE>

                                       2

<PAGE>   3
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

<TABLE>
<S>     <C>                                                            <C>

27.     Proper Law and Jurisdiction.................................... 14

28.     Legal Opinion.................................................. 14

29.     Condition Precedent............................................ 15

30.     Marketing Cooperation.......................................... 15

SCHEDULE I:     Satellite and Transponder Description and
                Performance Specifications............................. 16

SCHEDULE II:    Customer Signals, Customer Uplink Signals
                and Uplink Facilities.................................. 18

SCHEDULE III:   Service(s)............................................. 20

SCHEDULE IV:    Monitoring............................................. 21

SCHEDULE V:     Conditional Access System.............................. 23

SCHEDULE VI:    Charges................................................ 24

SCHEDULE VII:   Priority and Pre-emption............................... 26

SCHEDULE VIII:  ASTRA Access Agreement................................. 29

SCHEDULE IX:    ASIUS.................................................. 30

</TABLE>














                                       3

<PAGE>   4


                                   AGREEMENT

                              DATED 26 MARCH 1997


BETWEEN:


(1)  SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES S.A.
     L-6815 Chateau de Betzdorf, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg ("SES"); and

(2)  PCI PROGRAMMING INC.
     c/o Poland Communications Inc.
     1 Commercial Plaza
     Hartford, CT 06033, USA (the "Customer")



PREAMBLE:


(A)  SES is the operator of the ASTRA satellite system which comprises several
     satellites co-located at 19.2 degrees East for the retransmission of
     television and radio services;

(B)  The satellite, described in Schedule I-A hereto, is part of this satellite
     system;


(C)  The Customer wishes to use transponder capacity on a transponder of
     said satellite to transmit the digital services described herein on the
     terms and conditions set out below;


IT IS HEREBY AGREED AS FOLLOWS:


1.   INTERPRETATION


     1.1    In this Agreement, the following words and expressions shall have
            the meanings ascribed to them below:

            "Cahier des Charges" : the ministerial enactment (arrete
            ministeriel) of the Luxembourg government setting out the duties to
            be observed by SES in performance of the Concession;

            "Concession" : the concession contract ("Contrat de Concession")
            entered into by the government of Luxembourg and SES to enable SES
            to operate the Satellite System and any amendment thereof;

            "Customer Downlink Signals" : downlink RF(1)-QPSK(2) modulated time
            division

__________________________

     1      Radio frequency

     2      Quadrature phase shift kaying





                                       4



<PAGE>   5
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


            multiplexed carried carrying the Service(s) from the Customer's
            Transponder;

            "Customer Signals" : the bit stream, carrying the Service(s),
            produced by the Customer and transmitted to the Uplink Facilities
            for onward transmission via the Customer's Transponder and
            conforming to SCHEDULE II;

            "Customer Start Date" or "CSD" : the date on which the Customer has
            agreed to commence the transmission of the Service(s) on the
            Customer's Transponder, being the date upon which the Board of SES
            and the Government of Luxembourg have given their approval even if
            the Government's approval is just a preliminary one for test
            transmissions;

            "Customer Uplink Signals" : the RF-QPSK modulated time division
            multiplexed carrier, carrying the Service(s), transmitted from the
            Uplink Facilities to the Customer's Transponder and conforming to
            SCHEDULE II;

            "Customer's Transponder" : the transponder capacity on the Satellite
            as described in Schedule I-B, or any alternative transponder
            capacity subsequently allocated to the Customer pursuant hereto, and
            via which the Customer transmits the Service(s);

            "Expiry Date" : the last day of the Term;

            "LIBOR" : the one month London inter bank offered rate, applying to
            the currency of this Agreement, as quoted by Banque et Caisse
            d'Epargne de l'Etat in Luxembourg on the due date for payment;

            "Minimum Transponder Performance" : as defined in SCHEDULE I-D;

            "Operational Service Dates" or "OSD" : the date on which SES
            declared the Satellite operational, being 1 June 1996;

            "Payment Period" : a period of the Term in respect of which payments
            are payable or have been paid pursuant to SCHEDULE VI;

            "Pre-emption" : the deliberate interruption and/or cessation of the
            availability of a transponder by SES in accordance with the rules
            set out in SCHEDULE VII and "Pre-empt" shall be construed
            accordingly;

            "Received Signal Power" : as defined in SCHEDULE I-D;

            "Satellite" : the ASTRA IF satellite as described in SCHEDULE I-A;

            "Service(s)" : the Customer's services described in SCHEDULE III;

            "SES' Associates" : SES' officers, employees, consultants, agents,
            contractors or sub-contractors however it is understood that CLT/DTS
            performing the play-out for the Customer, are not considered as SES
            Associate;

            "Spare TWTA" : a spare travelling wave tube amplifier which can be
            switched to recover traffic on the Satellite;

            "Target Market" : as defined in SCHEDULE III;




                                       5



<PAGE>   6
                                                                  CONFIDENTIAL

            "Term": the duration of this Agreement as specified in CLAUSE 3;

            "transponder": a part of the Satellite which receives, amplifies
            and frequency-translates the uplink signals and retransmits them as
            downlink signals;

            "Unavailable", "Unavailability": as defined in CLAUSE 6;

            "Uplink Facilities": all equipment and ancillary facilities used
            to transmit the Customer Uplink Signals to the Satellite conforming
            to SCHEDULE II;

            "VAT": Value added tax or any similar tax or charge.

     1.2    In case of conflict between this Agreement and the Schedules
            hereto, this Agreement shall prevail.

2.   AGREEMENT

     With effect from CSD SES will perform the transmission of the Customer
     Uplink Signals carrying the Service(s) by exclusively providing the
     Customer's Transponder for the purpose and monitor the digital transmission
     of the Customer Uplink Signals on the terms set out herein. This Agreement
     does not include multiplexing and uplinking. SES will make available, at
     SES facilities in Betzdorf, encoding, multiplexing and uplinking.

3.   TERM

     3.1    This Agreement shall begin on the date hereof and expire on the
            tenth (10th) anniversary of CSD.

     3.2    Either party may terminate this Agreement upon 6 months written
            notice if the Customer does not tarket the Polish DTH market prior
            to 1 January 1999. "Tarket the Polish DTH market" means that (i)
            the Customer shall have a licence or permit (if necessary) for its
            activity and (ii) actively markets and promotes DTH reception by
            ensuring availability in the market of decoder boxes (integrated
            receiver devices ("IRD's").

4.   CHARGES

     4.1    The Customer shall pay the charges set out in SCHEDULE VI as and on
            the dates set out therein.

     4.2    Sums overdue shall be subject to a late payment interest charge at
            2% over LIBOR from the due date. The interest shall accrue on a
            daily basis.

     4.3    All sums payable by the Customer under SCHEDULE VI are quoted
            exclusive of any
                                       6
<PAGE>   7
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL

            Vat or other tax or duties. The Customer undertakes to pay any
            applicable VAT, other tax or duties upon receipt of an appropriate
            invoice from SES.

     4.4    All sums due under this Agreement shall be paid in full without
            set-off, counter-claim or other deduction.

     4.5    Any sums owned by SES to the Customer for Unavailability pursuant to
            CLAUSE 6 shall be calculated by SES within 15 days from the date on
            which such an event occurred and shall be paid to the Customer
            within thirty (30) days thereafter. If the Customer disagrees with
            the amount so calculated and notified by SES, the Customer shall so
            notify SES in writing and the parties shall seek in good faith to
            resolve the disagreement. Payments for Unavailability after the due
            date for payment determined hereunder shall accrue interest at the
            rate set out in CLAUSE 4.2, unless such payments are in dispute.

     4.6    In the circumstance set out in CLAUSE 7.2, the Customer shall not be
            relieved of its obligation to pay the charges payable hereunder.

5.   SPARE TWTA

     If the Customer's Transponder becomes Unavailable and if a Spare TWTA is
     available, then, subject to the priority rules set out in SCHEDULE VII, SES
     shall provide its use to the Customer as soon as reasonably possible.

6.   UNAVAILABILITY

     6.1    The Customer's Transponder shall be regarded as Unavailable if:

            6.1.1  the Received  Signal Power falls below the Minimum
                   Transponder Performance by more than 1 dB;

            6.1.2  the interruption of the Service(s) pursuant to Clause 8.1
                   exceeds thirty (30) minutes in any calendar quarter;

            6.1.3  any failure of the Satellite or any part thereof causes an
                   interruption of transmissions of the Service(s); or

            6.1.4  the 27.5 MS/s QPSK digital carrier at the centre frequency of
                   the Customer's Transponder, complying fully with SCHEDULE II,
                   which saturates the Customer's Transponder as indicated by
                   the satellite DLA input power telemetry as specified by SES
                   and has a 3/4 rate FEC, exhibits a Bit Error Rate worse than
                   10(-9) when received on a typical 60 cm antenna with no
                   pointing error, with a G/T of no worse than 13.5 db/K located
                   in Betzdorf, Luxembourg, under clear sky conditions. It is
                   understood that SES shall have no obligation to monitor the
                   bit error rate.

     6.2    During any period of Unavailability the Customer may obtain (at its
            cost) temporary bridging services from an alternative service
            provider. The Customer's payment obligations hereunder shall be
            suspended from the start of the period of Unavailability to the end
            of such period or, if later, the date the Customer's

                                        7




<PAGE>   8
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

            arrangements for bridging services in respect of such period of
            Unavailability come to an end, however such date shall not be later
            than 30 days after the end of any period of Unavailability. In this
            regard, SES shall refund to the Customer the pro rata temporis
            portion of the charges paid by the Customer for the period of
            Unavailability and/or the Customer shall not be liable to pay SES
            the pro rata temporis portion of the charges payable (but not yet
            paid) in respect of such period of Unavailability (as applicable).

     6.3    If the Customer's Transponder becomes Unavailable for a period of
            thirty (30) or more consecutive days, then the Customer may
            terminate the Agreement by written notice to SES (provided that such
            notice is sent while the Customer's Transponder is Unavailable) and
            CLAUSE 16.1 shall apply.

     6.4    CLAUSES 5, 6.2 and 6.3 shall be the Customer's sole remedies in the
            event of an Unavailability and SES shall have no other obligation.

7.   EXCLUDING CIRCUMSTANCES

     CLAUSES 6.2 and 6.3 shall not apply:

     7.1    to an Unavailability caused by an act or omission of the Customer or
            of the Customer's Associates;

     7.2    where the Customer Signals, the Customer Uplink Signals or the
            Uplink Facilities do not comply with SCHEDULE II or where the
            Customer Signals are not received by the Uplink Facilities or the
            Customer Uplink Signals are not received by the Customer's
            Transponder due to no fault of SES or any SES Associate.

8.   INTERRUPTION, TESTING AND MONITORING

     8.1    SES shall be entitled to interrupt the Service(s) and to require the
            Customer to cease transmission of the Customer Uplink Signals where
            necessary (i) to provide the use of a Spare TWTA, and (ii) for
            operational testing, maintenance, monitoring, preventive or curative
            repair or adjustment to be carried out either with respect to the
            Satellite as a whole or part thereof, or one or more of its
            transponders where necessary, in SES' reasonable opinion, to
            preserve the integrity of the Satellite or the overall quality of
            the satellite transmissions in the short, medium or long term. SES
            shall give the Customer as much notice thereof as is practicable in
            the circumstances and shall agree with the Customer upon the date
            and time of interruption wherever possible.

     8.2    SES shall be entitled to interrupt the Service(s) or to require the
            Customer to cease transmission of the Customer Uplink Signals if the
            Customer is in breach of its obligations hereunder ALWAYS PROVIDED
            THAT if such breach is due to a technical issue, SES shall not
            interrupt the Service(s) without allowing the Customer reasonable
            period of time to correct it, unless the technical issue either (i)
            is interfering with another customer of SES, (ii) could cause
            potentially damage or degradation to the Satellite or to its proper
            functioning or (iii) could affect the quality of the transmissions
            provided by the Satellite. Nothing in this CLAUSE 8.2 shall permit
            SES to interrupt the Services in circumstances where there is a bona
            fide





                                        8
<PAGE>   9
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL


            dispute between the parties as to any fees due to be paid under this
            Agreement. Any such dispute, if not resolved by negotiation, shall
            be dealt with as provided for in CLAUSE 27.

     8.3    SES shall monitor the Customer Uplink Signals and the performance of
            the Customer's Transponder in accordance with the provisions of
            SCHEDULE TV and supply an analysis of the results when so requested
            by the Customer. Such data shall be limited to information which SES
            can reasonably be expected to obtain and which it can reveal without
            liability or breach of any duty to any third party. Such information
            shall be kept confidential.

     8.4    The Customer shall procure that the operator of the Uplink
            Facilities shall assist SES in making any tests to ensure that such
            Facilities and the Customer Uplink Signals comply with Clause 10.3.

     8.5    All Service(s) using the Customer's Transponder shall be uplinked
            from the same uplink antenna.

9.   PRE-EMPTION

     Intentionally deleted

10.  USE OF TRANSPONDER AND ENCRYPTION

     10.1   The frequencies for the Customer Uplink Signals and the Customer
            Downlink Signals initially allocated by SES shall be those stated in
            SCHEDULE I-B or notified to the Customer before CSD.

     10.2   The Customer shall, on CSD, commence transmitting the Service(s)
            and thereafter maintain full transmission of the majority of the
            Service(s) as described in SCHEDULE III. For the avoidance of doubt
            this Clause 10.2 is not designed to interfere with the Customer's
            plans for the roll out of the Service(s) and SES accepts that such
            plans do not envisage the transmission of a full complement of
            Service(s) for the first year of this Agreement and may also mean
            that the Customer does not have any Service(s) ready to commence
            transmission on CSD.

     10.3   The Customer shall procure that the Customer Signals and Customer
            Uplink Signals and Uplink Facilities comply with SCHEDULE II and do
            not interfere with or damage the Satellite or any of its
            transponders.

     10.4   The Customer may, if so provided in SCHEDULE V, encrypt the Customer
            Signals provided that the Customer, at its costs, provides SES with
            ten operational decoders authorised for reception and any other
            equipment needed to receive the Customer Downlink Signals.

     10.5   SES shall have the right, at any time, to replace the transponder
            carrying the Service(s) on the Satellite by another transponder on
            any other ASTRA satellite at the same orbital position provided that
            the replacement transponder has the same polarization, bandwidth and
            the same uplink and downlink signal frequency as the transponder
            used by the Customer prior to such replacement and provides Minimum
            Transponder Performance. Unless SES uplinks the Service(s), SES will
            endeavour

                                       9



<PAGE>   10
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


           to provide to the Customer advance notice of 24 hours to perform the
           necessary operations to uplink the Service(s) to the other ASTRA
           satellite. To avoid a Service interruption, the Customer shall take
           all necessary arrangements with the operator of the Uplink
           Facilities to accommodate such a transponder replacement and SES
           will either (i) move the Customer's Transponder in tandem with any
           other customer's transponder on the Satellite or (ii) relax the
           technical requirements of the Access Agreement to require only two
           (2) uplinks for the three (3) allocated customer's transponders with
           frequencies in the E and F bands.

    10.6   The Customer shall not use the Customer's Transponder in any way not
           specified in this Agreement.

11. SERVICE INFORMATION

    The Customer shall provide to SES the Service(s) information in compliance
    with Schedule III.

12. COMPLIANCE WITH LAW

    12.1   The Customer shall comply to all material extent with all laws,
           regulations or provisions relevant for the performance of this
           Agreement, shall, where necessary, at all times have and comply with
           a broadcasting license or authorization for the Service(s) and shall
           promptly inform SES of any material change thereof. If the
           Service(s) is not subject to the laws of a member of the European
           Union it hall, nevertheless, comply with the provisions of the
           "Television Without Frontiers" directive of 3 October 1989, as may
           be amended, as transposed into the laws of Luxembourg being
           currently Article 6 and Chapter IV of the Luxembourg Electronic
           Media Law of 27 July 1991.

    12.2   SES shall not exercise its right to terminate this Agreement under
           CLAUSE 15.1 by reason of non-compliance by the Customer pursuant to
           CLAUSE 12.1 except where such non-compliance has been determined by
           a court or other authority with competent jurisdiction or where
           otherwise requested by the Government of the Grand Duchy of
           Luxembourg. Moreover if compliance with Clause 12.1 would result in
           the contravention of any future law or regulation in the Target
           Market, its non-compliance with CLAUSE 12.1 shall constitute an
           event of force majeure.

13. SES' AUTHORITY
     This Agreement is subject to the continuing right of SES to provide the
     Customer's Transponder pursuant to the Concession and the Cahier des
     Charges. If this right is withdrawn, then this Agreement shall terminate
     automatically unless the Government of Luxembourg wishes to undertake SES'
     rights and obligations hereunder. In either case, SES shall be discharged
     of all liability and obligation to the Customer subject to CLAUSE 16.

14. ASSIGNMENT

    14.1   Subject to the remainder of this CLAUSE 14 the Customer shall not
           assign, transfer, sub-let, or otherwise allow any third party to
           directly or indirectly exercise its rights, in whole or in part,
           under this Agreement. For the purpose hereof, an assignment shall
           also include a change in the control of the Customer or of a
           substantial part of its assets or business.

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<PAGE>   11
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


     14.2   SES hereby authorises the Customer at any time to assign its rights
            under this Agreement to (a) any affiliate or (b) Procable Sp Z 0. 0.
            ("Procable") provided that the Customer retains not less than a 33%
            shareholding in Procable, and in any such event on conditions that
            the Customer agrees to continue to be bound by all its obligations
            and liabilities hereunder and to hold SES harmless from any breach
            of this Agreement by its Assignee. For the purposes of this CLAUSE
            14.2, a company will be regarded as an affiliate of the Customer if
            the Customer holds not less than a 50% interest in the shares or
            equivalent of that company or if the company holds at least 50%
            interest in the Customer or a company being under common control
            with the Customer.

     14.3   Upon SES' and the Luxembourg Government prior written consent, which
            shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed, the Customer may
            sub-contract the benefit of this Agreement to any third party
            provided that (i) no such sub-contract shall relieve the Customer of
            its obligations and liabilities under this Agreement and the
            Customer shall be responsible for the acts, default and omissions of
            the sub-contractor, its employees and agents as fully as if they
            were acts, default, omissions of the Customer itself and (ii) the
            Customer will share revenues exceeding the charge payable in the
            relevant calendar year with SES on a 50/50 basis.

15.  TERMINATION

     In addition to the termination rights provided herein including without
     limitation the Customer's right to terminate as specified in CLAUSE 6.3, a
     party may terminate this Agreement forthwith by written notice if the other
     party:

     15.1   commits a material breach of its obligations hereunder and fails to
            remedy such breach (if capable of remedy) within thirty (30) days of
            written notice from the party requiring such breach to be remedied
            (for the avoidance of doubt, circumstances giving rise to the right
            to terminate under CLAUSE 3.2 or CLAUSE 6.3 do not constitute a
            material breach);

     15.2   is unable to pay its debts as they mature; becomes insolvent; is
            subject to bankruptcy, reorganisation, moratorium, insolvency or
            similar proceedings for the relief of financially distressed
            debtors; is subject to winding up, dissolution or liquidation
            (judicial or non-judicial) proceedings; voluntarily or involuntarily
            suspends or discontinues its business; liquidates or sells a
            substantial part of its assets; makes an assignment for the benefit
            of its creditors; or is subject to the appointment of a receiver,
            liquidator or other third party over its assets or business; or

     15.3   has been prevented by an event of force majeure from materially
            performance its obligations hereunder for sixty (60) days or more.
            SES will waive its right to terminate the Agreement if and for such
            period of time the Customer continues to pay the charge hereunder.

16.  EFFECT OF TERMINATION

     16.1   Where the Agreement is terminated (i) by the Customer, pursuant to
            Clauses 6.3, 15.1 or 15.2, (ii) by either party, pursuant to CLAUSE
            15.3, or (iii) automatically

                                       11
<PAGE>   12

                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

            pursuant to CLAUSE 13, then SES shall refund to the Customer the pro
            rata temporis portion of the advance payments made by the Customer
            pursuant to SCHEDULE VI relating to the unexpired portion of the
            Payment Period in progress on the date of termination. SES may
            deduct from such amount all payments, taxes and duties payable to
            governments or other entities for which the Customer is liable
            hereunder and all sums owed to SES at that time.

     16.2   Where SES terminates this Agreement pursuant to CLAUSES 15.1 or
            15.2, the Customer shall forthwith pay to SES any sum owed by the
            Customer to SES at that time and shall continue to be liable for and
            to pay the charge provided in Schedule VI (as if the Agreement had
            not been terminated) until such time as SES allocates the Customer's
            Transponder to another customer. SES shall have no obligation to
            market the Customer's Transponder in priority to unused transponder
            capacity on SES' satellites and for a price inferior to that payable
            by the Customer to SES (unless the Customer makes up for the
            difference); however, SES shall use its reasonable efforts to
            mitigate its losses. If the Customer's Transponder is allocated to
            another customer, SES shall refund to the Customer the pro rata
            temporis portion of the advance payments made by the Customer
            pursuant to SCHEDULE VI relating to the unexpired portion of the
            Payment Period in progress on the date at which the other customer
            starts transmitting.

17.  FORCE MAJEURE

     Neither party shall be considered to be in breach or be liable for any
     damage suffered by the other party or its Associates, by reason of any
     failure to perform any obligation hereunder if and for so long as such
     failure is the result of an event of force majeure. Subject to Clause 15.3,
     the respective obligations of both parties shall be suspended for such time
     as such an event prevents either party from performing its obligations.

18.  LIMITATION OF LIABILITY - EXCLUSIVITY OF REMEDIES

     18.1   Without prejudice to CLAUSES 5, 6 AND 16, SES shall not be liable to
            the Customer or to the Customer's Associates in any way whatsoever,
            except for its gross negligence ("faute lourde") or wilful
            misconduct ("dol").

     18.2   The remedies expressly provided in this agreement are the sole
            remedies available to the parties and the parties waive any other
            rights that they may have.


19.  INDEMNITIES

     19.1   The Customer shall totally indemnify SES and SES' Associates and
            customers against all claims, losses, damages, expenses arising
            from:

            19.1.1 damages caused to third parties as a result of a breach by
                   the Customer of this Agreement or a civil duty;

            19.1.2 infringement of copyright, defamation, libel or invasion of
                   privacy (or any allegation thereof) arising in the course of
                   the use of the Customer's Transponder;

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<PAGE>   13
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


            19.1.3 claims in any way connected with the quality or contents of
                   any programme or display transmitted as part of the
                   Service(s), or with any failure, however caused, to perform
                   an obligation owed to any person to transmit any such
                   programme or display;

            19.1.4 infringement by the Customer by virtue of exercising its
                   rights under this Agreement of any other third party right;

            19.1.5 damage caused to the Satellite by the Customer or the
                   operator of the Uplink Facilities save where SES is said
                   operator.

     19.2   A party (the "First Party") shall indemnify the other party against
            all claims, losses, damages or expenses arising from an infringement
            of patent caused by the use of any apparatus or system provided by
            the First Party to the other.

     19.3   Neither party shall admit any liability or make any concession in
            respect of any claim brought against it for which it may seek an
            indemnity under this CLAUSE 19 without the prior written consent of
            the indemnifying party and the indemnifying party shall have the
            right to control any such proceedings at its own costs and expenses.

20.  CONFIDENTIALITY

     Each party shall, and shall procure that its Associates shall, both
     throughout the Term and thereafter, keep confidential the provisions of
     this Agreement together with all other information disclosed on a
     confidential basis by the other party hereunder and shall not disclose the
     same to any person except when acting under a court order. Unless otherwise
     specified in writing, all information regarding the performance of the
     Satellite or the Customer's Transponder or the business affairs of the
     parties shall be regarded as confidential. Where necessary to secure its
     financing or otherwise in the legitimate course of its business, each party
     shall have the right to disclose this Agreement to its professional
     advisors, financial institutions and stock exchanges authorities.

21.  TRADEMARK - LOGO AND PRESS RELEASES

     21.1   Each party agrees to allow the other to use its trademark and logo,
            free of charge, throughout the Term, solely for the purpose of
            indicating in any document, advertising or communication made or
            commissioned by such party that the Service(s) is transmitted via
            the ASTRA satellite system.

     21.2   The parties shall agree on a press release to announce this
            Agreement.

22.  NOTICES

     Any notice shall be in writing and shall be sent to the address of the
     party to be served as above written or to such other address previously
     notified to the other party. All notices shall be delivered by hand,
     registered, or certified post or facsimile. Notices shall be deemed to have
     been received: (i) if delivered by hand, upon such delivery, (ii) if sent
     by post, (seventy-two) 72 hours after the envelope containing such notice
     was posted, or (iii) if sent


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<PAGE>   14
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL

     by facsimile, when the transmission of the facsimile is complete. Notices
     sent by facsimile shall be confirmed by letter. The initial facsimile
     number of the parties are: (i) SES: (352) 710 725 291, (ii) the Customer:
     (48) 22 43 56 31 or (48) 22 43 65 31.

23.  SEVERABILITY

     In the event that a provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid,
     inapplicable or unenforceable such provision shall be replaced by one which
     comes closest to the intention of the parties and the remaining provisions
     of this Agreement shall be unimpaired.

24.  WAIVER

     No relaxation, delay or indulgence by either party in enforcing any right
     under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof.

25.  ENTIRE AGREEMENT

     This Agreement, with the Schedules, is the entire agreement between the
     parties in connection with the subject matter hereof and there are no other
     agreements, written or oral. This Agreement supersedes all prior
     understandings, representations or communications between the parties and
     each party declares that it has not relied on any representation except as
     expressly set out herein.

26.  AMENDMENT

     No provision of this Agreement may be amended, waived or terminated, nor
     may any breach thereof be waived otherwise than (in each case) by the
     express written agreement of the parties hereto. The Agreement will, where
     necessary, be amended to reflect the reasonable changes made by the
     Luxembourg Government to the Concession or the Cahier des Charges or the
     Luxembourg Laws.

27.  PROPER LAW AND JURISDICTION

     This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the
     laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the parties hereby submit to the
     exclusive jurisdiction of the Luxembourg courts.

28.  LEGAL OPINION

     The Customer shall, at SES' request and cost, procure a legal opinion
     issued by the Customer's external counsel in favour of SES' lending
     institutions, in a form reasonably satisfactory to SES and its lending
     institutions.

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<PAGE>   15
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


29.  CONDITION PRECEDENT

     This Agreement is subject to the approval of the Board of SES, the Board of
     the Customer and of the Government of Luxembourg. The parties shall each
     use their reasonable efforts to obtain the approvals required as soon as
     practicable after contract signature but in any event before 30 April 1997.

30.  MARKETING COOPERATION

     Taking into account the Customer's plan to introduce into the market an
     aggregate amount of 500,000 IRD's during the start phase of DTH SES and the
     Customer shall cooperate jointly in the marketing activities for rolling
     out the Customer's digital services. Such cooperation shall be mutually
     agreed from time to time.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the duly authorised representatives of the parties hereto
have executed this agreement in two originals on the date first before written.

PCI PROGRAMMING INC.                     SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES S.A.


/s/ Robert E. Fowler, III                /s/ Romain Bausch
- -------------------------                ----------------------------
By:                                      Romain Bausch
Title:                                   Director General








                                       15
<PAGE>   16
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL

SCHEDULE I: SATELLITE AND TRANSPONDER DESCRIPTION AND PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS

A.   ASTRA 1F SATELLITE DESCRIPTION

1.   Satellite Manufacturer                  :   Hughes Communications Int. Inc.

2.   Expected Fuel Lifetime (from OSD)       :   15 years

3.   Satellite Station-keeping accuracy      :   Longitude +/- 0.10 degrees
                                                 Inclination +/- 0.10 degrees

4.   Stabilisation System                    :   3 axis

5.   Designed Channel Capacity               :

     A maximum of 22 transponders at start of life reducing to 20 transponders
     at end of life can be operated simultaneously. All transponders are eclipse
     protected and may be selected from the following configurations:

     40 transponders in the 17300 - 18100 MHz uplink and 11700 - 12500 MHz
     downlink frequency bank, 16 transponders in the 14250 - 14500 MHz uplink
     and 11200 - 11450 MHz downlink frequency bann (ASTRA-1A backup).

6.   Polarization                             :   Dual Linear

7.   Cross-polarization isolation (for areas
     within the 50 dBW e.i.r.p. contour) on
     vertical and horizontal transponders     :   Typical 30 dB

For the avoidance of doubt, the specifications set out in Parts B and C below
shall constitute part of the terms and conditions of this Agreement but the
description of the Satellite in this Part A is for the Customer's information
only and shall not constitute any term or condition of this Agreement.

B.   SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF TRANSPONDER USE
1.   Initial transponder number on the Satellite   :   95

2.   Customer Uplink Signal frequency              :   17904.50 MHz

3.   Customer Downlink Signal frequency            :   12304.50 MHz

4.   Capacity provided                             :   27.5 MS/s QPSK
5.   Hours of transmission                         :   24 hours per day.

6.   Pre-emptibility status                        :   See SCHEDULE VII-A

7.   Polarisation                                  :   Horizontal

C.   ORBITAL POSITION AND TRANSPONDER BANDWIDTH

1.   Orbital position                              :   19.2 degrees East

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<PAGE>   17
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL


2.   Usable Transponder bandwidth     :     33 MHz (in the band 12.10 to 12.50
                                            GHz)

D.   TRANSPONDER PERFORMANCE


1.   "MINIMUM TRANSPONDER PERFORMANCE" is defined as a satellite single carrier
     saturation e.i.r.p. measured under clear sky conditions by a measurement
     test set-up according to standard engineering practice as described in
     Schedule I-E of (all figures in dBW):

     <TABLE>
     <CAPTION>
     City             F-Band           F-band on
                      on ASTRA 1F      ASTRA 1G
     ----             -----------      ---------
     <S>              <C>              <C>
     Bialystok        50               50
     Gdansk           52.5             50.5
     Kielce           52               51.5
     Krakow           52               52
     Lublin           50               51
     Olsztyn          52               50.5
     Radom            51.5             51.5
     Warsaw           51.5             51
     Wroclaw          52.5             52
     Betzdorf         51               51
     </TABLE>

     It is understood that SES shall have no obligation to monitor or measure
     the Minimum Transponder Performance in any sites listed above save for
     Betzdorf.

2.   "RECEIVED SIGNAL POWER" is defined as signal power in dBW on the ground in
     Luxembourg measured by a measurement test set-up according to standard
     engineering practice as described in Schedule I-E. If the measurement is
     not performed under clear sky conditions, the measured value shall be
     corrected to account for the effect of weather and propagation conditions.

3.   The Minimum Transponder Performance and Received Signal Power shall be
     those measured or otherwise ascertained where the Customer is complying or
     procuring compliance with SCHEDULE II.

E.   MEASUREMENT TEST SET-UP AND STANDARD ENGINEERING PRACTICE

     The saturated transponder e.i.r.p. and Received Signal Power is measured
     under all weather conditions at the SES Satellite Control Facility in
     Betzdorf, Luxembourg. The measured e.i.r.p. for the Customer's Transponder
     is kept on record.

     In order to accurately determine each transponder e.i.r.p., a measurement
     set-up consisting of a calibrated fluxmeter and radiometer is used. The
     fluxmeter measures the power flux density of earth surface created by each
     individual satellite transponder.

     The radiometer measures atmospheric attenuation along the satellite path,
     assuming the atmosphere to be an absorbing homogeneous medium at a constant
     temperature. Atmospheric attenuation is measured at the beginning of each
     e.i.r.p. measurement cycle.

     The fluxmeter uses a calibrated antenna, with a calibrated RF measurement
     subsystem comprising, among others, a LNA, a down converter and a true RMS
     power sensor. A 33 MHz selectivity bandpass filter is used to reduce errors
     due to adjacent channel interference during e.i.r.p. measurements.


                                       17
<PAGE>   18
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

SCHEDULE II:     CUSTOMER SIGNALS, CUSTOMER UPLINK SIGNALS AND UPLINK FACILITIES

A.   SPECIFICATIONS OF CUSTOMER SIGNALS AND CUSTOMER UPLINK SIGNALS

     To ensure consistent and uniform reception of high quality video, audio and
     data services by the users of ASTRA transmitted services, and to allow full
     inter-operability between different manufacturer's equipment, SES requires
     each Customer Signal and Customer Uplink Signal to meet the applicable
     provisions of the following specifications:

     ISO/IEC 13818-1/-2/-3

     Generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio (Part 1: Systems;
     Part 2: Video and Part 3: Audio).

     ETS 300 421

     Digital broadcasting systems for television, sound and data services:
     framing structure, channel coding and modulation for 11/12 GHz satellite
     services.

     ETS 300 468

     Digital broadcasting systems for television, sound and data services;
     specification for Service Information (SI) in Digital Video Broadcasting
     (DVB) Systems.

     ETR 154

     Implementation guidelines for the use of MPEG-2 Systems, video and audio in
     satellite and cable broadcasting applications.

     ETR 211

     Guidelines on implementation and usage of service information.

     The Customer agrees to transmit the ASTRA Network Information Table
     ("NIT") as described in SCHEDULE IX. More specifically, the Customer
     Uplink Signals shall automatically update its transmitted NIT to reflect
     any changes of the ASTRA NIT. However, the Customer may modify the parts of
     the NIT describing the Customer Uplink Signals (e.g. addition of service
     list descriptor).

B.   CUSTOMER SIGNALS

1.   Video source coding shall be as specified in MPEG-2 main profile/main
     level.

2.   Audio source coding shall be as specified in ISO/IEC 13818-3 and as defined
     in ETR 154.

C.   CUSTOMER UPLINK SIGNAL AND UPLINK FACILITIES

     The Customer shall comply with the specifications and parameters set-out in
     the ASTRA Access Agreement, a copy of which has been separately provided to
     the Customer, which may be amended by SES, as necessary, provided that such
     amendment also applies to other customers on the Satellite.

     More specifically, the Customer Uplink Signals and the Uplink Facilities
     having access to

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<PAGE>   19
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


    the ASTRA satellite shall meet the performance requirements established in
    the ASTRA Access Agreement. SES will provide a reasonable prior notice for
    any amendment requiring a change of hardware.

    The following parameters shall also be met:

1.  EARTH STATION EIRP

    For access to the Satellite, the Uplink Facilities must be able to produce a
    minimum earth station e.i.r.p. of to be notified by SES to the Customer once
    the Customer has informed SES of the uplink site dBW per RF channel for
    transmissions originated from to be notified by the Customer to SES before
    OSD.

    However, given that the Service(s) can be transferred to another ASTRA
    satellite, pursuant to Clause 10.5, such transfer may require a separate
    earth station and the Customer should note that for such satellite the
    Uplink Facilities must be able to produce a minimum earth station e.i.r.p.
    to be determined by SES, which may differ from that of the earth station
    which accesses the Satellite.

2.  TRANSMISSION STANDARD

    The transmission standard used for the video, audio, and data services
    shall be in accordance with the specifications given in Section A above.











                                       19
<PAGE>   20
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


SCHEDULE III:    SERVICE(S) (CLAUSE 10)

The Customer's Transponder shall be used exclusively for the transmission of the
following packages of television services, and related audio, and other services
as specified below all of them targeting at the general public located within
the Target Market. The expression "Target Market" means any or all of the
following countries: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania,
Moldova, Bulgaria, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Yugoslavia, Macedonia and Albania. It is
understood that those countries are only to such extent part of the Target
Market as they are covered by the Satellite footprint.

A.   PAY-PER-VIEW SERVICES, being television services for which the viewer pays
     on the basis of the actual consumption.

B.   PAY TV SERVICES, being encrypted television services available upon
     subscription.

C.   UNENCRYPTED SERVICES, being television services available without any
     special decoding equipment.

D.   OTHER SERVICES: [TBD]

For each service considered, the Customer shall provide SES with the name of the
service, the types of service (pay-per-view, pay TV, unencrypted), the nature of
the programming and the language(s) of the service.

The above information, for any given Service, shall be provided at least 30 days
before the proposed start date for the Service and shall be subject to SES'
consent which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed and, where required,
to the approval of the Government of Luxembourg. Any change of service shall be
subject to the prior written consent of SES which shall not be unreasonably
withheld or delayed.









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<PAGE>   21
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

SCHEDULE IV:     MONITORING (CLAUSE 8)

In addition to performing the activities related to controlling the Satellite,
SES will also monitor all the transmissions through all its transponders as
described below.

SES will maintain a Network Operations Centre (NOC) capable of monitoring the
Received Signal Power of the Customer's Transponder on a continual basis
in order to produce a computerized record of the RF characteristics of the
Customer's Transponder.

As part of these activities, SES conducts a quarterly test using its In Orbit
Test System (IOTS) of the performance of each transponder on the ASTRA
satellite system. This test will necessitate that the Customer's Uplink Signal
be switched off during selected periods of time in accordance with Clause 8.1
for not more than thirty (30) minutes at a time.

If a problem is detected, the NOC Operators will initiate and co-ordinate
corrective measures in co-operation with the Uplink Facility which is
transmitting the Customer Uplink Signals.

The NOC's specific functions and responsibilities will include:

- --   Receiving and handling reports of Unavailability from customers.

- --   Co-ordinating the remedy of the reported difficulty and initiating any
     necessary procedures required to restore lost or impaired service in the
     most expedient manner

- --   Maintaining a complete and accurate record of all reported and observed
     service failures, impairments, and customer contacts

- --   Co-ordinating the overall line-up, pre-service tests, and actual provisions
     of service

- --   Arranging the routine monitoring of the Customer's Transponder as described
     above

- --   Ensuring that any potential events that may affect the operation of the
     Satellite as a whole or of the Customer's Transponder (sun transit, routine
     testing, etc.) are notified to the Customer as soon as practicable and in
     advance if possible

The reporting points for operational purposes shall be:

At the Customer:     c/o Baker McKenzie
                     ul. Dluga 26/28
                     00-238 Warsaw
                     Tel:   (48) 22 635 3521
                            (48) 22 635 4111
                     Fax:   (48) 22 635 9447
                            (48) 39 121 1213

At SES:              Network Operations Centre
                     Satellite Control Facility
                     L-6815 Chateau de Betzdorf
                     Luxembourg
                     Tel: for urgent problems only:
                              (352) 710 152
                     Tel: for normal operating and general use:

                                       21
<PAGE>   22

                                                                 CONFIDENTIAL




                     Tel:   (352) 710 725-344
                     Fax:   (352) 710 725-227
                            (352) 710 725-213

                     Attn:  Head Network Operations Centre

The above telephone and facsimile numbers are subject to change by SES or the
Customer.















                                       22

<PAGE>   23
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


SCHEDULE V:    CONDITIONAL ACCESS SYSTEM

The Customer may encrypt the Customer Signals using such system as it shall
reasonably select, in conjunction with SES, SES' approval not to be unreasonably
withheld or delayed. The conditional access system selected shall be DVB
compliant (based upon the DVB common scrambling algorithm and mechanisms). A
conditional access system cannot be applied to the Customer Signals during the
time period where SES provides, in its ground station in Betzdorf, encoding and
multiplexing of the Customer Signals.












                                       23
<PAGE>   24
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL

SCHEDULE VI: CHARGES (CLAUSE 4)


A.   The charge payable by the Customer to SES in each year of this Agreement
     (being a year which commences on CSD or any anniversary of that date) shall
     be the sum of the fees to be determined in accordance with paragraphs (i)
     and (ii), subject always to paragraph (iii):


      (i)  At the Customer's election (the Customer to notify SES of its
           election not less than thirty (30) days prior to the commencement of
           each year of this Agreement) either:



                   -    an annual fixed fee of * USD or
                   -    a monthly fixed fee of * USD.



           The annual fixed fee (when payable) shall be paid on the first day
           of the relevant year of this Agreement.  The monthly fixed fee
           (when payable) shall be payable on the first day of each month of
           the relevant year of this Agreement.  The Customer hereby elects to
           pay the monthly fixed fee in the first year of this Agreement, the
           first payment of which shall be on CSD.


      (ii) A variable fee of * USD for each qualifying digital household up
           to * such households and * USD for each qualifying digital
           household exceeding * such households ALWAYS PROVIDED that on
           or from 31 March 1999 until the Expiry Date, there shall be deemed
           to be not less than * qualifying digital households irrespective of
           the actual number of such households.  The expression "qualifying
           digital household" means any household located in which the occupant
           has a current contract with the Customer or one of its affiliates or
           authorized agents or distributors which gives him the right to
           receive any services of the Customer and/or any affiliates of the
           Customer that are transmitted using the Customer's Transponder by
           means of direct pick-up by the occupant (via direct-to-home) of the
           digital signal on an IRD available in the Target Market.


           Following determination of the number of qualifying digital
           households at the end of the calendar year ending in the relevant
           year of this Agreement, the variable payment will be payable on the
           average number of houses of the said calendar year (2 point
           average) thirty (30) days after notification.  For the calendar
           year ending in the first year of this Agreement, the 2 point
           average will start at zero.  Consequently the number of qualifying
           digital households for the first year of this Agreement will be
           half of the number calculated at the end of that calendar year.

           In the first and last year of this Agreement, the variable payment
           will be the number of qualifying digital households multiplied by
           the appropriate rate(s) adjusted to the number of months in the
           relevant calendar year since CSD or until the Expiry Date (as
           applicable).


           Any calculation of the number of qualifying digital households
           shall be verified by an independent auditor to be agreed upon by
           the parties.
     (iii)  The aggregate charges payable by the Customer to SES in any year
            shall not exceed 6,750,000 USD.


     [*confidential treatment requested; omitted portions have been filed
     separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission]


B.   The Customer shall effect payment of all charges to the bank account
     identified by SES in the corresponding invoice.

C.   The daily rate of charge to be applied for the purposes of calculating any
     refund to be made pursuant to CLAUSE 6 of the Agreement shall be the
     aggregate charges payable for the Payment Period in the course of which an
     Unavailability occurred divided by the number of

                                       24
<PAGE>   25
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL

days contained in said Payment Period



























                                       25
<PAGE>   26
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


SCHEDULE VII:    PRIORITY AND PRE-EMPTION

A - CUSTOMER STATUS

The Customer shall have the status of: Non-pre-emptible Customer as defined in
PART B below.

B - CATEGORIES OF USE

SES' customers using the ASTRA satellite system shall be accorded (for each
transponder used) priority status as: Protected, Non-Pre-emptible or
Pre-emptible.

1.   Protected Customers:

     a.   will not be subject to pre-emption by other customers;

     b.   will be entitled to be provided with the use of a back-up transponder
          (this will require the pre-emption of Pre-emptible Customer); and

     c.   shall have the benefit of Spare TWTAs, in preference to certain other
          customers, as set out in PART C below.

2.   Non-Pre-emptible Customers:

     a.   will not be subject to pre-emption themselves;

     b.   will have no rights of pre-emption themselves; and

     c.   shall have the benefit of Spare TWTAs as set out in PART C below.

3.   Pre-emptible Customers:

     a.   have not rights of pre-emption themselves;

     b.   may have their transponder pre-empted, as set out in PART D below, in
          order to provide a back-up transponder to a Protected Customer; and

     c.   shall have the benefit of Spare TWTAs, but subject to the rights of
          other customers in this Schedule, as set out in PART C below.

C.   PRIORITY RULES FOR SPARE TWTAs

As a general rule, Spare TWTAs on the Satellite will be provided on a first
failed/first served basis.

However, in the event of simultaneous transponder failures (or where the
sequences of failures cannot be determined) on the Satellite, and if the number
of failures exceeds the number of available Spare TWTAs, then the following
rules shall apply:

1.   Protected Customers have priority over Non-Pre-emptible Customers who, in
     turn, have priority over Pre-emptible Customers.

2.   Where, pursuant to this Schedule, conflicting rights to Spare TWTAs arise
     between customers with the same priority status, priority shall be given in
     accordance with the following rules:






                                        26
<PAGE>   27
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

     a.   customers whose service starts on the Operational Service Date ("OSD
          CUSTOMER") shall have priority over those whose service starts at a
          date after such Operational Service Date;

     b.   between OSD Customers, priority shall be determined by reference to
          the expiry dates of their contracts so that the customers with the
          later dates of expiry have priority over customers with earlier expiry
          dates;

     c.   between OSD Customers whose contracts expire on the same date,
          priority shall be determined by reference to the dates on which they
          signed contracts for the use of a transponder, so that the customers
          who signed earlier have priority over those who signed later;

     d.   between customers whose services start after the Operational Service
          Date ("POST OSD CUSTOMERS"), priority shall be determined by
          reference to the customer start dates, so that the customers with
          earlier customer start dates shall have priority over customers with
          later customer start dates;

     e.   between Post OSD Customers who have the same customer start dates,
          priority shall be determined in the same manner as applicable for OSD
          Customers under PARAGRAPH 2(b) and (c) above; and

     f.   between customers originating from different satellites (i.e.
          customers whose initial transponder was located on an ASTRA satellite
          other than the Satellite), priority shall be determined by reference
          to their respective start date on their respective initial satellite,
          so that the customers with earlier customer start dates shall have
          priority over customers with later customer start dates.

3.   For the purpose of the above rules, (i) the expiry date of a contract
     shall, in case of extension of the contract, refer to the extended expiry
     date, and (ii) the customer start date refers to the start date of a
     customer's initial service and is not affected by any subsequent change of
     the service transmitted under a given customer contract.

D. PRE-EMPTION RULES

1.   If PART A above provides that the Customer has the status of Pre-emptible
     Customer, then the Customer's Transponder shall be pre-emptible on the
     terms set out below.

2.   a.   SES shall have the right to pre-empt the Customer's Transponder to
          provide back-up capacity to restore the service of a Protected
          Transponder in respect of which SES is contractually bound to provide
          back-up capacity at the time pre-emption occurs and if there is no
          Spare TWTA that can be used to restore the Protected Transponder's
          service.

     b.   As used herein, "PROTECTED TRANSPONDER" means the transponder of a
          Protected Customer on another ASTRA satellite, to be nominated by SES
          and notified by SES to the Customer at any time, the protection of
          which directly or indirectly requires the pre-emption of the
          Customer's Transponder. There may be several Protected Transponders
          nominated by SES, provided that each is on a different ASTRA
          satellite. SES may increase or reduce the number of Protected
          Transponders at any time by giving prior written notice to the
          Customer.

3.   To Pre-empt the Customer's Transponder:

     a.   SES will give the Customer at least 24 hours advance warning (by fax
          or phone) of

                                        27

<PAGE>   28
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


          such pre-emption save in the event of consecutive failures of a
          Protected Transponder, in which case such pre-emption warning may be
          shorter, it being understood that SES will keep the Customer informed
          of the status of the Protected Transponders affected by such
          consecutive failures; and

     b.   at the expiry of the aforementioned advance warning, SES shall have
          the right to forthwith interrupt the transmission of all video and
          audio services using the Customer's Transponder and the Customer shall
          therefore forthwith, upon SES' request, interrupt the transmission of
          the Customer Uplink Signal. SES shall in addition have the right to
          interrupt the reception of the Customer Uplink Signals by the
          Customer's Transponder.

4.   The Customer shall comply diligently with SES' instructions for the purpose
     of implementing the pre-emption and shall require the operator of the
     Uplink Facilities to do the same.

5.   a.   If SES pre-empts the Customer's Transponder, then, at that time, SES'
          obligation to provide the use of the Customer's Transponder, and the
          Customer's obligation to pay the corresponding charge, shall be
          suspended. The Agreement shall terminate 30 days after the pre-emption
          date unless SES, within this period, restores the Protected
          Transponder in respect of which pre-emption was implemented. If such
          restoration occurs after this 30 days period, then SES shall offer the
          Customer's Transponder back to the Customer on the terms set out in
          this Agreement for the outstanding period of Term. The Customer shall
          have fifteen (15) days to accept SES' offer.

     b.   Upon termination of the Agreement pursuant hereto, as the case may be,

          i.   SES shall refund to the Customer the pro rata temporis portion of
               the advance payments made by the Customer pursuant to Schedule VI
               and relating to the unexpired portion of the period (in respect
               of which the Customer has paid in advance) in progress on the
               date of pre-emption; or

          ii.  the Customer shall pay to SES all outstanding sums owed to SES at
               the time of termination.

6.   a.   The Customer shall fully cooperate with SES for the exercise, by SES,
          of its right of pre-emption provided herein and shall not raise any
          objection, initiate any legal proceedings against SES or the Protected
          Customer benefiting from the pre-emption, or take other steps, to
          prevent, delay or obstruct the exercise of this right and the Customer
          shall be liable for all damages suffered by SES or such Protected
          Customer in connection therewith.

     b.   The Customer shall not make any claim against SES or the Protected
          Customer benefiting from the pre-emption in connection with the
          exercise, by SES, of its right of pre-emption and shall indemnify SES
          against any related third party claim.





                                       28
<PAGE>   29
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


SCHEDULE VIII.  ASTRA ACCESS AGREEMENT













                                      29
<PAGE>   30
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL



SCHEDULE IX:    ASIUS










                                      30
<PAGE>   31
                                  ASTRA LOGO


                            ASTRA ACCESS AGREEMENT


                        PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF
                       EARTH STATIONS HAVING ACCESS TO
                               ASTRA SATELLITES


- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASTRA Access Agreement                        SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 AUGUST 1996                                 CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY
<PAGE>   32
                                     CONTENTS
<TABLE>
<S>                                                                          <C>
1.    INTRODUCTION ..........................................................  1
2.    ANTENNA SYSTEM ........................................................  2
      2.1.  General .........................................................  2
      2.2.  Frequency Range .................................................  2
      2.3.  Off-axis Antenna Gain Pattern ...................................  4
      2.4.  Polarisation ....................................................  4
      2.5.  Motorisation, Antenna Pointing and Tracking .....................  4

3.    RF EQUIPMENT ..........................................................  5
      3.1.  Frequency Range and Agility .....................................  5
      3.2.  E.i.r.p. Capability .............................................  5
      3.3.  Transmitter Inhibit .............................................  5
      3.4.  Out-of-Band e.i.r.p. Emission ...................................  6
      3.5.  Off-axis e.i.r.p. Density .......................................  6
      3.6.  Frequency Stability .............................................  6

4.    AMPLITUDE AND GROUP DELAY DISTORTIONS .................................  7
      4.1.  FM TV transmission in FSS and BSS bands .........................  7
      4.2.  Digital transmission in FSS and BSS bands .......................  8
      4.3.  Group Delay Equalisation ........................................  9

5.    BASEBAND PARAMETERS FOR FM TV TRANSMISSION ............................ 10
      5.1.  General ......................................................... 10
      5.2.  PAL Transmission Standard ....................................... 10
            5.2.1. Video Signal ............................................. 10
                   5.2.1.1. Frequency Deviation ............................. 10
                   5.2.1.2. Energy Dispersal ................................ 10
                   5.2.1.3. Pre-emphasis .................................... 11
            5.2.2. On-line Testing .......................................... 11
            5.2.3. Audio Signals ............................................ 11
                   5.2.3.1. Audio Channel Modes ............................. 11
                   5.2.3.2. Subcarrier Frequency ............................ 15
                   5.2.3.3. Subcarrier Bandwidth ............................ 16
                   5.2.3.4. Subcarrier Modulation Index ..................... 16
                   5.2.3.5. Analogue Audio .................................. 16
                            5.2.3.5.1. Analogue Audio Deviation ............. 16
                            5.2.3.5.2. Analogue Audio Bandwidth ............. 16
                            5.2.3.5.3. Pre-emphasis ......................... 16
                   5.2.3.6. Digital Audio ................................... 17
                            5.2.3.6.1. Sampling Method ...................... 17
                            5.2.3.6.2. Modulation Method .................... 17
                            5.2.3.6.3. Auxiliary Data ....................... 17
                   5.2.3.7. Network Control Carrier ......................... 17
            5.2.4. Teletext ................................................. 17
</TABLE>


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ASTRA Access Agreement                        SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 August 1996                                 CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY




                                       I
<PAGE>   33
                                    CONTENTS

<TABLE>
<S>                                                                          <C>
6.    CHANNEL CODING, MODULATION, MULTIPLEXING AND SOURCE
      CODING FOR DIGITAL SERVICES ........................................... 18
      6.1.  General ......................................................... 18
      6.2.  Modulation ...................................................... 18
            6.2.1. BSS bands ................................................ 18
            6.2.2. FSS bands ................................................ 18
            6.2.3. Earth Station Degradation ................................ 18
      6.3.  Channel coding .................................................. 18
      6.4.  Power Spectrum Density Mask ..................................... 19
            6.4.1. BSS Bands ................................................ 19
            6.4.2. FSS Bands ................................................ 19
      6.5.  Multiplexing .................................................... 20
            6.5.1. General .................................................. 20
            6.5.2. Transport Stream ......................................... 20
            6.5.3. Service Information ...................................... 20
      6.6.  Source Coding ................................................... 21

7.    ASTRA SATELLITE INFORMATION ........................................... 22
      7.1.  ASTRA 1 series .................................................. 22
            7.1.1. ASTRA 1 Transponder Frequency Plan ....................... 22
      7.2.  ASTRA 2 series .................................................. 31
            7.2.1. ASTRA 2 Transponder Frequency Plan ....................... 31

8.    ORBITAL POSITION/STATION KEEPING ...................................... 35

9.    BEACON INFORMATION .................................................... 35
      9.1.  ASTRA 1A and ASTRA 1B Beacon Details ............................ 36
      9.2.  ASTRA 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G and 1H Beacon Details .................. 36
      9.3.  ASTRA 2A Beacon Details ......................................... 36
      9.4.  ASTRA 2B Beacon Details ......................................... 37

Annex 1 ..................................................................... 38
      MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT) ...................................... 38

</TABLE>


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ASTRA Access Agreement                        SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 August 1996                                 CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                       II
<PAGE>   34
1.    INTRODUCTION

In order to access an ASTRA satellite, approval must first be obtained from
Societe Europeenne des Satellites - SES. The purpose of this approval is to
control the technical parameters of the Uplink Facilities and Customer's Uplink
Signal, to ensure that the following objectives are met:

- --   The desired signal quality and availability are achieved;

- --   Harmful interference is not produced in the other transmissions carried by
     any ASTRA spacecraft;

- --   The interference produced in other satellite systems will not exceed the
     coordinated levels.

This document outlines the specifications established by SES in order to
achieve those objectives. Access to a specific ASTRA satellite will only be
granted after compliance to the specifications has been demonstrated to the
satisfaction of SES.

In case of contradiction between the ASTRA Access Agreement and the Customer's
Transponder Agreement, the latter shall prevail.

The following definitions are utilised in this document:

OPERATOR -- Person, firm, corporation or other legal entity using an ASTRA
transponder.

SATELLITE CONTROL FACILITY (SCF) -- SES earth station complex located at
Betzdorf, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

DIGITAL TRANSMISSION FACILITY (DTF) -- Part of the SES earth station complex,
located at Betzdorf, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, in which digital services are
handled.

ANALOGUE NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTRE (NOC) -- The monitor and control centre for
all analogue ASTRA services, located at the SCF. This provides a 24 hour
monitor and control network reporting point for service quality monitoring and
problem resolution for the ASTRA analogue satellites.

DIGITAL NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTRE (DINO) -- The monitor and control centre for
all ASTRA digital services, located at the DTF. This provides a 24 hour monitor
and control network reporting point for service quality monitoring and problem
resolution for the ASTRA digital satellites.

REFERENCE STANDARD EARTH STATION (RSES) -- These stations are highly maintained
up- and downlinks to be used in developing baseline performance standards for
transmission carried by the ASTRA satellites.

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ASTRA Access Agreement                        SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 August 1996                                 CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                       1
<PAGE>   35
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

                                REFERENCE STANDARD
              SATELLITE            EARTH STATION
              ---------         ------------------
              <S>                       <C>

              ASTRA 1A..................BTZ #2
              ASTRA 1B..................BTZ #3
              ASTRA 1C..................BTZ #4
              ASTRA 1D..................BTZ #5
              ASTRA 1E..................BTZ #6
              ASTRA 1F..................BTZ #10
              ASTRA 1G..................BTZ #12
              ASTRA 1H..................BTZ #14
              ASTRA 2A..................BTZ #13
              ASTRA 2B..................BTZ #15

</TABLE>

              Table 1. ASTRA Reference Standard Earth Stations

2.    ANTENNA SYSTEM

2.1.  GENERAL

A dedicated antenna system shall be used for access to any ASTRA satellite.
Simultaneous access to two or more ASTRA satellites by a single antenna system
is not permitted, but it is permitted for one antenna to access a single
spacecraft in both the FSS and BSS bands. By using a dedicated antenna system
as specified herein for a given ASTRA satellite, link performance in terms of
uplink and downlink Carrier/Thermal Noise (C/N) and Carrier/Cross Polar
Interference (C/X) can be maintained.

2.2.  FREQUENCY RANGE

The antenna system is required to meet all the specifications set in the next
items operating in the appropriate FSS or BSS frequency range.

The uplink frequency ranges for the different ASTRA satellites (primary and
back-up bands) are shown in the following Table 2.

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ASTRA Access Agreement                       SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 August 1996                                CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                        2

<PAGE>   36
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                   FSS                               BSS
             ----------------------------------------------    ----------------
Satellite       12.75-13.25    13.75-14.00    14.00-14.50         17.30-18.10
- ---------    ----------------------------------------------    ----------------
<S>          <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>
ASTRA 1A.....                                        A-Band
ASTRA 1B.....                              B-Band
ASTRA 1C.....          C-Band                        A-Band
ASTRA 1D.....D-Band    C-Band              B-Band              E-Band
ASTRA 1E.....D-Band    C-Band              B-Band              E-Band
ASTRA 1F.....                                        A-Band    E-Band    F-Band
ASTRA 1G.....                    G-Band                        E-Band    F-Band
ASTRA 1H.....                    G-Band                        E-Band    F-Band
ASTRA 2A.....                    G-Band                        E-Band    F-Band
ASTRA 2B.....                    G-Band    B-Band              E-Band    F-Band
</TABLE>
                     TABLE 2. ASTRA UPLINK FREQUENCY BANDS

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ASTRA Access Agreement                        SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 August 1996                                 CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                       3
<PAGE>   37
2.3  OFF-AXIS ANTENNA GAIN PATTERN

The gain, (expressed in dBi), relative to an isotropic antenna, at any off-axis
angle (-) (expressed in degrees) shall comply with the following:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

FREQUENCY RANGE (GHz)       GAIN (dBI)              ANGULAR RANGE
- ---------------------       ----------              -------------
<S>                         <C>                     <C>
14.00 - 14.50.......  G</- 29 - 25 log (-)     1 degree  < (-) </- 20 degrees
                      G</- 32 - 25 log (-)    20 degrees < (-) </- 48 degrees
                      G</- -10                48 degrees < (-) </- 180 degrees

12.75 - 13.25.......  G</- 29 - 25 log (-)   0.5 degree  < (-) </- 36.3 degrees
13.75 - 14.00.......  G</- -10              36.3 degrees < (-) </- 180 degrees

17.30 - 18.10.......  G</- 29 - 25 log (-)     1 degree  < (-) </- 36.3 degrees
                      G</- -10              36.3 degrees < (-) </- 180 degrees
</TABLE>

2.4.  POLARISATION

The ASTRA satellites employ dual linear orthogonal polarisation. The antenna
polarisation angle will be set with SES during service line-up, following the
appropriate procedure established by the NOC and the DINO. The cross-polarised
signal component transmitted by the antenna shall be as specified below:

                                FSS band: 30 dB
                                BSS band: 35 db

2.5.  MOTORISATION, ANTENNA POINTING AND TRACKING

Permanent uplink antennas shall be motorised in both azimuth and elevation to
enable rapid repointing in case of necessity, and to facilitate accurate antenna
pattern measurements.

Further, the utilisation of a suitable tracking system is recommended in order
to meet the e.i.r.p. stability requirement specified in the following section
3.2. The tracking system design shall be based on the ASTRA satellite station
keeping and beacon frequency parameters, which are presented in sections 8 and 9
respectively. It shall guarantee the clear sky polarisation value specified in
the previous section 2.4.

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ASTRA Access Agreement                         SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 August 1996                                  CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                       4
<PAGE>   38
3.    RF EQUIPMENT

The RF equipment, including any redundant equipment, is required to meet all
the specifications set out in the following sections 3.1 to 3.6.

3.1.  FREQUENCY RANGE AND AGILITY

It shall be possible to set the carrier centre frequency to within +/- 125 kHz.

3.2.  E.I.R.P. CAPABILITY

The e.i.r.p. will be established by SES based on the utilised channel and on
the uplink geographical location.

It is expected that SES may request changes in the earth station e.i.r.p.
during the course of the contract, to account for changes in the transponder
performance over its lifetime, utilisation of redundant units or utilisation of
a different transponder.

The uplink e.i.r.p. stability shall be equal to or better than +/- 0.5 dB
including antenna pointing and tracking errors.

Means shall be provided to allow adjustment of the carrier level to within 0.5
dB of the specified value.

3.3.  TRANSMITTER INHIBIT

Operators accessing ASTRA satellites may be required by the NOC or the DINO to
shut down a transmission in the case where it is producing harmful interference
into other transmissions. Shut down of a transmission may also be required to
allow the switching into operation of redundant units in the satellite.

In order to comply with this requirement, the Operator shall provide continuous
manning of the uplink site or a remote control system to another location which
will be manned continuously.

The transmitter shall utilise a system which automatically inhibits the
transmission of a chain upon the detection of failure conditions such as loss of
phase lock on an upconverter or excessive HPA transmit power. This system may
also be designed to, alternatively, switch the transmission to a stand-by chain.


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ASTRA Access Agreement                        SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 August 1996                                 CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                       5
<PAGE>   39
3.4.  OUT-OF-BAND e.i.r.p. EMISSION

Earth station out-of-band emissions are additional sources of interference for
other carriers utilising ASTRA transponders. The two contributions to
out-of-band e.i.r.p. emission are spurious output and intermodulation products.
Note that the specification applies across all ASTRA uplink bands (both FSS and
BSS) for all stations. The specified limits for these two contributions are
the following:

- -- The out-of-band on-axis e.i.r.p. emissions in the 12.75 - 13.25, 13.75 -
   14.50, and 17.30 - 18.10 GHz bands, resulting from spurious output, must not
   exceed 4.0 dBW/4 kHz;

- -- The out-of-band on-axis e.i.r.p. emissions in the 12.75 - 13.25, 13.75 -
   14.50, and 17.30 - 18.10 GHz bands, resulting from intermodulation
   products, must not exceed 12.0 dBW/4 kHz.

3.5.  OFF-AXIS e.i.r.p. DENSITY

This parameter has a direct impact on the interference produced in other
satellite systems. In order to keep this interference within acceptable levels,
the earth station must comply with the following e.i.r.p. limits. The off-axis
angle, (-), is referred to the main lobe axis, in degrees.

For the frequency range 14.00-14.50 GHz, based on ITU-R Report 1001:

     35 - 25log (-) dBW/40 kHz      for 2.5 degrees </- (-) </-  48 degrees
     -7             dBW/40 kHz      for 48  degrees <   (-) </- 180 degrees

For the frequency range 12.75 - 13.25 GHz based on the ITU Appendix 30B planned
limits (averaged over the necessary bandwidth of 26 MHz):

     -25 - 25log (-) dBw/Hz       for 0.5 degrees </- (-) </- 36.3 degrees
     -64             dBW/Hz       for 36.3 degrees < (-) </- 180 degrees

For the frequency range 13.75 - 14.00 GHz, the antenna must fully comply with
the antenna specification (section 2.3).

For the frequency range 17.30 - 18.10 GHz, the input power to the antenna
shall not exceed 30 dBW in a single transponder, and the antenna must conform
fully with the antenna specification (section 2.3).

3.6.  FREQUENCY STABILITY

The RF frequency tolerance of the transmitted carrier shall be equal to or
better than +/- 150 kHz, long and short term stability.

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<PAGE>   40
4.   AMPLITUDE AND GROUP DELAY DISTORTIONS

4.1. FM TV TRANSMISSION IN FSS AND BSS BANDS

The earth station IF uplink filter shall be provided in the uplink chain and
shall conform to the amplitude limits shown in Figure 4.1.1.

The group delay produced by transmit earth station IF and RF equipment -
including the up-converter, IF filter, HPA, RF filter combiners, feed and
transmission lines - shall be equalised to the limits given in Figure 4.1.2.

                                [FIGURE 146A]

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

         FREQUENCY (MHz)                    AMPLITUDE (dB)
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>       <C>         <C>       <C>     <C>     <C>     <C>     <C>
 A         B           C         D       a       b       c       d
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
20.2      25.2        28.9     40.0     0.2     2.2     8.3    25.0
- -------------------------------------------------------------------


</TABLE>
             Figure 4.1.1. IF UPLINK FILTER AMPLITUDE RESPONSE

                                 [FIGURE 146B]

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

         FREQUENCY (MHz)                    GROUP DELAY (ns)
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>         <C>          <C>          <C>          <C>          <C>
 A/3         A            H            f            g            h
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
6.7        20.2         24.6          2.0          3.0         12.0
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
             Figure 4.1.2. IF UPLINK GROUP DELAY RESPONSE

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<PAGE>   41
4.2.  DIGITAL TRANSMISSION IN FSS AND BSS BANDS

For the FSS or BSS transmit channel from upconverter input to antenna output,
the total amplitude and group delay distortions shall not exceed the values
specified in Table 4.2.1.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

                                        FSS                 BSS
                                 -----------------   -----------------
<S>                                <C>     <C>         <C>    <C>
Frequency (MHz).................     26      30          33     39
Amplitude variation (dBpp)......    0.5     0.7         0.5    0.7
Group delay variation (nspp)....    6.0     8.0         6.0    8.0
</TABLE>
               Table 4.2.1 AMPLITUDE AND GROUP DELAY DISTORTIONS

In the case where an RF channel filter network is used, the amplitude and group
delay masks specified in Figure 4.2.1 and 4.2.2 shall be met from the HPA
output to the antenna output.



                                  (FIGURE 47)



<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

BAND                      FREQUENCY (MHz)                AMPLITUDE (dB)
- ----                ---------------------------    ----------------------------
<S>                     <C>     <C>     <C>            <C>     <C>     <C>
                         A       B       C               a       b      c
                       ----    ----    -----            ----    ----   ----
FSS                     26      30      114             0.25    0.35    35
BSS                     33      39      123
</TABLE>
               Figure 4.2.1. RF CHANNEL FILTER AMPLITUDE RESPONSE

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<PAGE>   42
                                  [FIGURE 46]



<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

BAND       FREQUENCY (MHz)         GROUP DELAY (ns)
           ---------------         ----------------
              A       B               a       b
           -------  ------         ------   ------
<S>          <C>     <C>             <C>     <C>
FSS           26      30
                                     3.5     5.0
BSS           33      39

</TABLE>
                   Figure 4.2.2. RF CHANNEL GROUP DELAY MASK

4.3.   GROUP DELAY EQUALISATION

Equalisation capability shall be provided at the earth station for intrinsic
group delay in the earth station transmit equipment and for group delay in the
satellite transponder.

     The maximum range of satellite group delay to be equalised at the earth
station is given below:

- --  Linear    :   +/-1.0 ns/MHz

- --  Parabolic :   0.5 ns/MHz(2)













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<PAGE>   43
5.     BASEBAND PARAMETERS FOR FM TV TRANSMISSION

5.1.   GENERAL

In general the baseband television signal parameters defined shall be designed
in accordance with the relevant definitions and standards for that system and as
authorised by SES.

5.2.   PAL TRANSMISSION STANDARD

5.2.1. VIDEO SIGNAL

The transmitted video signal shall correspond to that of ITU-R Report 624-4 and
Recommendation 472-3, using PAL values with a maximum video signal bandwidth of
5 MHz.

A lowpass filter at the video input to the modulator shall reject any signal
above 6 MHz by at least 40 dB. Up to 5 MHz this filter shall have a group delay
ripple of less than +/-20 ns.

The following items present information concerning the basis modulation
parameters.

5.2.1.1. FREQUENCY DEVIATION

The utilised peak-to-peak frequency deviation for the video signal shall be 16
MHz/V, assuming the difference between white and black levels to be 0.7 V.

5.2.1.2. ENERGY DISPERSAL

The earth station shall be equipped to add to the TV signal a fixed amplitude
symmetrical triangular waveform, phase locked to the video frame rate, capable
of producing the specified peak-to-peak deviation of the television carrier.
The utilised frequency of that waveform shall be 25 Hz.

The energy dispersal waveform shall be applied automatically and produce the
following peak-to-peak deviation of the TV carrier:

     -- In the presence of a modulating signal: 2.0 MHz

     -- In the absence of a modulating signal: 4.0 MHz

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<PAGE>   44
5.2.1.3. PRE-EMPHASIS

The utilised pre-emphasis network shall be that defined in the ITU-R
Recommendation 405-1 (625 lines).

5.2.2. ON-LINE TESTING

In order to enable service performance monitoring while on-line transmission is
present, vertical interval test signals (VITS) shall be inserted on the
transmitted baseband video signal. These signals are based on ITU-R
Recommendation 473-5, as depicted in Figures 5.2.2.1 - 5.2.2.3 and shall
utilise one of the following VITS line modes:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

          TEST SIGNAL               LINE        LINE        LINE
          -----------               ----        ----        ----
          <S>                       <C>   <C>   <C>   <C>   <C>
          CCIR 17..............     17          18          19
          CCIR 18..............     18    or    19    or    20
          CCIR 330.............     330         331         332
          CCIR 331.............     331         332         333
</TABLE>

In addition line 22 shall always be used as a "quiet" line to allow the
measurement of end-to-end signal/noise ratio or for other purposes specified by
SES.

5.2.3. AUDIO SIGNALS

5.2.3.1. AUDIO CHANNEL MODES

The TV carrier shall (normally) be supplemented by a number of audio channels.
The following sections describe the various subcarrier configurations that may
be used for the transmission of audio channels for both TV-related and non
TV-related applications.

Only those subcarriers specified in the Customer's Transponder Agreement shall
be utilised and only subcarrier modulation equipment approved by SES shall be
employed.

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<PAGE>   45
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
 CHARACTERISTICS MEASURED            WAVEFORM USED                LINE NUMBER
 ------------------------            -------------                -----------
<S>                     <C>                     <C>             <C>
Linear distortions

  Insertion gain........B(2)                    Bar                17 and 330
  Amplitude/frequency
    response............C(2) and C(1)           Multiburst            18
  Line-time waveform
    distortion..........B(2)                    Bar                17 and 330
  Short-time waveform
    distortion:
      step response.....B(2)                    Bar                17 and 330
      pulse response....B(1)                    2T                 17 and 330

  Chrominance-luminance
    gain inequality.....B(2) and G(1), or G(2)  Bar & Subcarr.  17 and 330, 331
                        B(2) and F              Bar & 20T             17

  Chrominance-luminance
    delay inequality....F                       20T                   17


Non-linear distortions

  Luminance line-time
    non-linearity.......D(1)                    Staircase             17
  Chrominance
    non-linearity.......G(2)                    3Step Subcarr.        331
  Luminance-Chrominance
    intermodulation:
      -- differential
         gain...........D(2)                    Modulated             330
      -- differential
         phase..........D(2) and E              Staircase           330, 331
  Chrominance-luminance
    intermodulation.....B(2) and G(1) or G(2)   Bar & Subcarr.      17, 331
</TABLE>
                           Table from CCITT-Rec N. 67
                 Figure 5.2.2.1 VERTICAL INTERVAL TEST SIGNALS

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<PAGE>   46
                                  [FIGURE 52A]
















                                  [FIGURE 52B]



















               Figure 5.2.2.2.    VERTICAL INTERVAL TEST SIGNALS


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<PAGE>   47
                                  [FIGURE 53A]
















                                  [FIGURE 53B]



















               Figure 5.2.2.3.    VERTICAL INTERVAL TEST SIGNALS


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<PAGE>   48
5.2.3.2. SUBCARRIER FREQUENCY

The audio subcarriers shall utilise only the frequencies presented in Table
5.2.3.2.1. and shall only be used in the manner indicated in the column "Type",
and in accordance with Section 5.2.3.1.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

                        Type                       Frequency (MHz)
                        ----                       ---------------
                    <S>                                 <C>
                    Digital Only........................6.12@

                    Digital Only........................6.30@

                    Digital Only........................6.48@

                    Digital Only........................6.66@

                    Digital Only........................6.84@

                 TV sound (A:L/M)........................7.02

                 TV sound (A:R/M)........................7.20

                   D or A (L/M)..........................7.38

                   D or A (R/M)..........................7.58

                   D or A (L/M)..........................7.74

                   D or A (R/M)  ........................7.92

                    Digital Only........................8.10*

                    Digital Only........................8.28*

                    Digital Only........................8.46#

           Low Speed Data for network control...........8.595#
</TABLE>

                    Table 5.2.3.2.1. SUBCARRIERS FREQUENCIES

A = analogue companded system with Panda(R)-I parameters.
D = digital stereo 192 kbit/s QPSK signal using ISO 11172-3 Layer II parameters.
L = left stereo      R = right stereo     M = mono
* -    Frequency tolerance of +/-0.005 MHz for all subcarriers
@ -    As an option, these five subcarriers may be replaced by a single
       non-companded analogue subcarrier at 6.50 MHz used for mono TV sound.
+ -    These subcarriers may only be used if subcarriers 7.74 and 7.92 MHz are
       digital.
# -    In some applications the use of this subcarrier may be restricted to
       prevent degradation of the picture quality.
(R) -  Panda is a registered trademark of WEGENER Communications Inc.



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<PAGE>   49
5.2.3.3. SUBCARRIER BANDWIDTH

A 130 kHz nominal bandwidth shall be utilised for all the analogue companded or
digital audio subcarriers. In the case of the non-companded mono subcarrier,
the nominal bandwidth of the modulated signal shall be 200 kHz.

5.2.3.4. SUBCARRIER MODULATION INDEX

The modulation index of the subcarrier, BETAscx, is given by the following
expression:
            BETAsc = DELTAsc/Fsc

Where BETAscx is the peak deviation produced by the subcarrier in the TV carrier
and Fsc is the frequency of the subcarrier, both DELTAsc and Fsc being given in
MHz.

For the analogue companded subcarriers, a modulation index of 0.15 shall be
utilised. For the digital audio subcarriers, a modulation index of 0.12 shall
be utilised. For the network control subcarrier (8.595 MHz) a modulation index
of 0.10 shall be utilised. In the case of the non-companded mono subcarrier a
modulation index of 0.26 shall be utilised.

5.2.3.5. ANALOGUE AUDIO

5.2.3.5.1. ANALOGUE AUDIO DEVIATION

The peak frequency deviation produced by a 9 dBm0 test tone on the analogue
companded subcarriers shall be +/- 50 kHz. In the case of the non-companded mono
subcarrier, a 9 dBm0 test tone shall produce a peak frequency deviation of
+/- 85 kHz.

5.2.3.5.2. ANALOGUE AUDIO BANDWIDTH

All the analogue audio channels shall provide an audio baseband ranging from
20 Hz to 15 kHz.

5.2.3.5.3. PRE-EMPHASIS

The analogue companded subcarriers shall utilise 75 mu's together with an
adaptive pre-emphasis compatible with the WEGENER Communications Panda(R)-I
system. The pre-emphasis time constant of the non-companded audio subcarrier
shall be 50 mu's.


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<PAGE>   50
5.2.3.6. DIGITAL AUDIO

The digital audio subcarriers shall utilise ISO 11172-3 Layer II coding system
to achieve a CD quality stereo channel and shall conform with the SES document
"ASTRA DIGITAL RADIO (ADR)".

5.2.3.6.1. SAMPLING METHOD

The analogue stereo signal input shall be sampled at a rate of 48 ksamples/s.
Compression based on the ISO 11172-3 Layer II algorithm shall then be performed
to generate a 192 kbit/s digital stereo signal.

5.2.3.6.2. MODULATION METHOD

The digital audio signals shall be modulated using the differential QPSK method,
with a convolutional code of rate 3/4, with constraint length 7, CCITT V.35
scrambling shall be employed. An appropriate filter mask shall be applied in the
modulator to limit the bandwidth to the same value as for an analogue companded
subcarrier.

5.2.3.6.3. AUXILIARY DATA

The format of any auxiliary data in the ISO 11172-3 Layer II data stream shall
be agreed by SES in writing.

5.2.3.7. NETWORK CONTROL CARRIER

The maximum data rate shall be 14.4 kbits/s using asynchronous FSK modulation.
The modulation index shall be 0.10.

5.2.4. Teletext

The Teletext signal shall conform to the specifications for Teletext System B as
defined in ITU-R Recommendation 653, for the case of a 625/50 television system.

THE VBI (VERTICAL BLANKING INTERVAL) SHALL NOT BE USED FOR TRANSMISSION OF ANY
OTHER TYPE OF INFORMATION OR SIGNAL WITHOUT PREVIOUS AUTHORISATION IN WRITING
FROM SES.

Teletext signals shall only be inserted between lines 7 and 21 inclusive (and
the corresponding lines in the second field) other than on those lines used for
VITS test signals as specified in paragraph 5.2.2 unless specifically approved
in writing by SES.

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<PAGE>   51
6.   CHANNEL CODING, MODULATION, MULTIPLEXING AND SOURCE CODING FOR DIGITAL
     SERVICES

6.1  GENERAL

Channel coding and modulation equipment shall conform to the following
specifications:

     ETS 300 421

     Digital broadcasting systems for television, sound and data services;
     Framing structure, channel coding and modulation for 11/12 GHz satellite
     services.

     ETR 154

     Digital broadcasting systems for television; Implementation guidelines for
     the use of MPEG-2 systems; Video and audio in satellite and cable
     broadcasting applications.

The transmitted RF carrier spectrum shall not be inverted with respect to the
modulator output spectrum. The phase accuracy at the modulator output shall be
+/-2 degrees. The amplitude accuracy at the modulator output shall be +/-0.2 dB.

6.2. MODULATION

6.2.1. BSS BANDS

The modulation shall be QPSK at a transmission bit rate of 55.0 Mbit/s, in order
to operate with a single carrier at a fixed symbol rate of 27.5 Msym/s.

6.2.2. FSS BANDS

The modulation shall be QPSK at a transmission bit rate of 44.0 Mbit/s, in order
to operate with a single carrier at a fixed symbol rate of 22.0 Msym/s.

6.2.3. EARTH STATION DEGRADATION

The E6/No degradation (for the case of FEC 3/4 and BER = 10(7) caused by the
earth station equipment shall be less than 0.5 dB. This value shall be verified
in a station loop including baseband, IF and RF equipment of the uplink and
downlink chain.

6.3.  CHANNEL CODING

Forward Error Correction (FEC) shall conform to the specifications given in
section 6.1 and shall permit the use of one or more of the following FEC ratios:
1/2, 2/3, 3/4 or (in the case of FSS 26 MHz bandwidth) 5/6.


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<PAGE>   52
6.4.  POWER SPECTRUM DENSITY MASK

6.4.1. BSS BANDS

To avoid adjacent channel interference, the RF spectrum at the output of the
power amplifier of the earth station shall not exceed the tolerance mask shown
in Fig. 6.4.1. It may be necessary to operate the power amplifier in back-off
mode in order to achieve this specification.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Frequency Offset (+/-)  Amplitude
        (MHz)             (dB)
- ----------------------  ---------
<S>                     <C>
      0 - 19.50             0.0                 (FIGURE 58A)
    19.50 - 29.25         -25.0
      >/- 40.00           -40.0
</TABLE>
                                        Figure 6.4.1. BSS POWER SPECTRUM MASK

6.4.2. FSS BANDS

To avoid adjacent channel interference, the RF spectrum at the output of the
power amplifier of the earth station shall not exceed the tolerance mask shown
in Fig. 6.4.2. It may be necessary to operate the power amplifier in back-off
mode in order to achieve this specification.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Frequency Offset (+/-)  Amplitude
        (MHz)             (dB)
- ----------------------  ---------
<S>                     <C>
      0 - 14.75             0.0                 (FIGURE 58B)
    14.75 - 22.50         -25.0
      >/- 30.00           -40.0
</TABLE>
                                        Figure 6.4.2. BSS POWER SPECTRUM MASK

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<PAGE>   53
6.5.   MULTIPLEXING

6.5.1. GENERAL

Multiplexing of video, audio, and data signals shall conform to the following
specifications:

     ISO/IEC 13818-1
     Generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio (Part 1: Systems).

     ETR 154
     Digital broadcasting systems for television; implementation guidelines
     for the use of MPEG-2 systems; Video and audio in satellite and cable
     broadcasting applications.

6.5.2. Transport Stream

The Transport Stream (excluding error correcting code overhead) shall operate
at one of the following bit rates, dependent on the FEC to be used:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

                                     TRANSPORT STREAM BIT RATE
                  FEC RATIO                   (MBIT/S)
                  ---------          -------------------------
                                        BSS             FSS
                                     ---------       ---------
<S>                                 <C>              <C>
                     1/2 ..........    25.34           20.27
                     2/3 ..........    33.79           27.03
                     3/4 ..........    38.01           30.41
                     5/6 ..........     n.a.           33.79
</TABLE>

6.5.3. SERVICE INFORMATION

Service Information shall conform to the following specifications:

     ETS 300 458
     Digital broadcasting systems for television, sound and data
     services: Specification for Service Information (SI) in Digital Video
     Broadcasting (DVB) systems.

     ETR 211
     Digital broadcasting systems for television; implementation guidelines
     for the use of MPEG-2 systems; Guidelines on implementation and usage
     of service information.

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<PAGE>   54
It is further required to receive the original ASTRA NETWORK
INFORMATION TABLE (NIT) uplinked from Betzdorf and to re-transmit this
table in intervals of at least 10 seconds on each locally uplinked
ASTRA transponder.

The last version of the original NIT should be kept in memory. This
ensures an uninterrupted availability of the NIT in case the original
NIT cannot be received.

By means of the local Service information editing station, the
transponder specific parts of the NIT can be modified/updated at any time.

A MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT) has been defined to provide a
mechanism for conveying diagnostic information about the consistency
of all multiplexes to the central Network Operations Centre at Betzdorf.

The local uplinks should generate such MDT in the case a service
failure occurs for longer than 10 seconds, i.e. if a service
component (video, audio, subtitle or accompanied data) or a Service
information component (NIT, SDT, EIT or TDT) is missing.

This involves that the local encoders signal corresponding failure
information to the local multiplex controller that shall generate the
MDT. After the failure has been eliminated, the local uplink stops
transmitting the MDT.

Details on the Multiplex Diagnostic Table concept can be found in
Annex 1.

In addition it is recommended that a transmitted Service Description
Table (SDT) includes the service information about all services on
the respective transponder on which it is transmitted, and that an
Event Information Table (EIT) includes the event information about
all present and following events for all services on the respective
transponder.

6.6  SOURCE CODING

Source coding of video and audio signals shall conform to the
following specifications:

     ISO/IEC 13818-2/-3

     Generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio (Part 2:
     Video and Part 3: Audio).

     ETR 154

     Digital broadcasting systems for television; Implementation
     guidelines for the use of MPEG-2 systems; Video and audio in
     satellite and cable broadcasting applications.


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<PAGE>   55
7.  ASTRA SATELLITE INFORMATION

7.1.  ASTRA 1 SERIES

Presently, there are six ASTRA satellites (ASTRA 1A to 1F) at the orbital
position of 19.2 degrees East. In the middle of 1997, ASTRA 1G will be added to
fill the available frequency spectrum at 19.2 degrees East. ASTRA 1G is SES'
seventh satellite to be co-positioned at 19.2 degrees East. Adding 16
transponders, the spacecraft will increase the digital transmission capacity on
that position to 120 transponders.

The eight satellite at the 19.2 degrees East orbital position, ASTRA 1H will be
launched to provide backup capability for the other satellites at that position.

7.1.1.  ASTRA 1 TRANSPONDER FREQUENCY PLAN

Figures 7.1.a. to 7.1.g. present the ASTRA 1 satellite system frequency plans.
All transponders are linearly polarised, utilising the polarisation scheme
presented in Table 7.1. The two polarisations are orthogonal to each other and
the horizontal polarisation has a counter-clockwise rotation of 7.5 degrees
relative to the orbit plane, as viewed from the satellite.


TRANSPONDER                   UPLINK                      DOWNLINK
- -----------                 ----------                   ----------
Odd.................         Vertical                    Horizontal
Even................        Horizontal                    Vertical
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         Table 7.1. -- ASTRA 1 TRANSPONDER POLARISATION SCHEME

All the ASTRA 1 satellites provide four different downlink coverage modes, as
detailed in Tables 7.1.a. to 7.1.b. These four modes provide different coverage,
concentrating more downlink power in different regions of Europe.

  SATELLITE       ASTRA 1A       ASTRA 1B          ASTRA 1C          ASTRA 1D
  ---------       --------       --------          --------          ---------
    MODE                              TRANSPONDER
    ----                              -----------

Horizontal 1.. 1, 5, 9, 13   17, 21, 25, 29  33, 37, 41, 45      49, 53, 57, 61

Horizontal 2.. 3, 7, 11, 15  19, 23, 27, 31  35, 39, 43, 47, 63  51, 55, 59, 63

Vertical 1.... 4, 8, 12, 16  20, 24, 28, 32  36, 40, 44, 48, 64  52, 56, 60, 64

Vertical 2.... 2, 6, 10, 14  18, 22, 26, 30  34, 38, 42, 46      50, 54, 58, 62

                Table 7.1.a. -- ASTRA 1A to 1D DOWNLINK



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<PAGE>   56
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

SATELLITE         ASTRA 1E                ASTRA 1F                 ASTRA 1G
- ---------         --------                --------                 --------
  MODE                                TRANSPONDER
  ----                                -----------
<S>              <C>                      <C>                          <C>

Horizontal+..... 65, 69, 73, 77, 81    85, 89, 93, 97, 101         105, 109, 113, 117

Horizontal-..... 67, 71, 75, 79        83, 87, 91, 95, 99, 103     107, 111, 115, 119

Vertical-....... 68, 72, 76, 80        84, 88, 92, 96, 100, 104    108, 112, 116, 120

Vertical+....... 66, 70, 74, 78, 82    86, 90, 94, 98, 102         106, 110, 114, 118

</TABLE>

                          Table 7.1.b. - ASTRA 1E to 1G DOWNLINK

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<PAGE>   57



                                  (FIGURE 63)






                       Figure 7.1 a A-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN



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<PAGE>   58



                                  (FIGURE 64)






                       Figure 7.1 b B-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN



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<PAGE>   59



                                  (FIGURE 65)






                       Figure 7.1 c C-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN



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<PAGE>   60



                                  (FIGURE 66)






                       Figure 7.1 d D-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN



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                                       27
<PAGE>   61



                                  (FIGURE 67)






                       Figure 7.1 e E-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN



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<PAGE>   62



                                  (FIGURE 68)






                       FIGURE 7.1 l F-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN



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<PAGE>   63



                                  (FIGURE 69)






                       FIGURE 7.1 g G-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN



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<PAGE>   64
7.2.  ASTRA 2 SERIES

As of autumn 1997, a second orbital position at 28.2 degrees East will be
activated with the deployment of ASTRA 2A. A second satellite, ASTRA 2B, will
be co-located at 28.2 degrees East in late 1998.

ASTRA 2A will have 28 active Ku-band transponders (32 for the first five years)
operating in the Broadcast Satellite Services frequency band (11.70 - 12.50
GHz), powered by 100 Watt travelling-wave tube amplifiers.

ASTRA 2B will provide up to 28 highpower Ku-band transponders (30 for the first
five years) with an output of 108 Watt each. All transponders can operate over
Europe and a steerable antenna offers the capability for up to 16 transponders
in the 12.50 - 12.75 GHz frequency range to be activated within any area of the
earth visible from 28.2 degrees East.

Co-located at 28.2 degrees East, the two spacecraft will provide SES with a
total of 56 transponders in the frequency range 11.70 - 12.75 GHz for digital
broadcasts at the second ASTRA orbital position.

7.2.1.  ASTRA 2 TRANSPONDER FREQUENCY PLAN

Figures 7.2.a. and 7.2.b. present the ASTRA 2 satellite frequency plans. All
transponders are linearly polarised, utilising the polarisation scheme presented
in Table 7.2. The two polarisations are orthogonal to each other and the
horizontal polarisation has a counter-clockwise rotation of 7.5 degrees relative
to the orbit plane, as viewed from the satellite.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
TRANSPONDER                   UPLINK                      DOWNLINK
- -----------                 ----------                   ----------
<S>                         <C>                          <C>
Odd.................         Vertical                    Horizontal
Even................        Horizontal                    Vertical
</TABLE>

         Table 7.2. -- ASTRA 2 TRANSPONDER POLARISATION SCHEME

All the ASTRA 2 satellites provide four different downlink coverage modes, as
detailed in Table 7.2.a. These four modes provide different coverage,
concentrating more downlink power in different regions of Europe.


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<PAGE>   65
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>


             SATELLITE                       ASTRA 2A                      ASTRA 2B
  -----------------------------    ----------------------------    --------------------------
                                                         TRANSPONDER
                                   ----------------------------------------------------------
     POL.                 BEAM        E-BAND           F-BAND       F-BAND         G-BAND
  ---------              ------    -------------     ----------    ---------    -------------
<S>                      <C>      <C>               <C>           <C>          <C>
  Horizontal ..........   South    1, 5, 9, 13, 17    21, 25       29, 33, 37   41, 45, 49, 53
  Horizontal ..........   North    3, 7, 11, 15       19, 23, 27   31, 35, 39   43, 47, 51, 55
  Vertical ............   South    2, 6, 10, 14, 18   22, 26       30, 34, 38   42, 46, 50, 54
  Vertical ............   North    4, 8, 12, 16       20, 24, 28   32, 36, 40   44, 48, 52, 56

</TABLE>
                              TABLE 7.2.a. - ASTRA 2A and 2B DOWNLINK

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<PAGE>   66



                                  (FIGURE 72)






                       FIGURE 7.2a ASTRA 2A FREQUENCY PLAN



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<PAGE>   67



                                  (FIGURE 73)






                       FIGURE 7.2b ASTRA 2B FREQUENCY PLAN



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<PAGE>   68
8.    ORBITAL POSITION / STATION KEEPING

The nominal orbital position of the ASTRA 1 satellites is 19.2 degrees East. The
orbital position of the ASTRA 2 satellites is 28.2 degrees East.

Under normal operating conditions SES will maintain the ASTRA satellites within
the following station-keeping box:

                     +/-0.10 degrees North/South
                     +/-0.10 degrees East/West.

9.    BEACON INFORMATION

The following table shows the beacon frequencies (MHz) for the different
spacecraft:


                             Vertical          Horizontal
                             --------          ----------
          ASTRA 1A........... 11203.0            11446.5

          ASTRA 1B........... 11453.5            11696.5

          ASTRA 1C........... 11451.0            11448.5

          ASTRA 1D........... 11454.0            11447.5

          ASTRA 1E........... 11202.0            11948.5

          ASTRA 1F........... 11201.0            10946.5

          ASTRA 1G........... 11701.0            11669.0

          ASTRA 1H........... 11707.0            11693.5

          ASTRA 2A........... 11706.0            11694.5

          ASTRA 2B........... 11708.0

                              11710.0

                TABLE 9.1 BEACON FREQUENCIES (MHz)

At least one beacon will always be operational per spacecraft.

The beacon frequency stability is 1 ppm per day. Under normal operating
conditions the minimum beacon e.i.r.p. on any spacecraft shall be 16 dBW. For
the design of suitable tracking antenna systems, the following information
regarding the appropriate ASTRA ranging and telemetry characteristics shall be
used as a baseline.

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<PAGE>   69
9.1.  ASTRA 1A AND ASTRA 1B BEACON DETAILS

The following characteristics apply to both ASTRA 1A and ASTRA 1B.

PCM Telemetry    : Phase modulation of beacon carrier by PCM (Biphase L)
                   telemetry to a peak deviation of 1.0+/-0.1 radians. Data rate
                   is 1 kbit/s.

Analog Telemetry : Phase modulation of beacon carrier by frequency modulated
                   14.5 kHz subcarrier to a peak deviation of 1.0+/-0.1 radians.

Ranging          : Phase modulation of beacon carrier by ranging signals
                   at 19 kHz or 27.777 kHz to a peak deviation of
                   1.0+/-0.1 radians.

Ranging + PCM
Telemetry        : Phase modulation of beacon carrier by composite
                   ranging signals at 19 kHZ or 27.777 kHz together with PCM
                   telemetry data signal to a peak deviation of 1.0+/-0.1
                   radians. In absence of ranging signals, the deviation of PCM
                   data alone is 0.5+/-0.05 radians.

There are four ranging tones. The first three ranging tones at 35.43 Hz,
283.45 Hz and 3968.25 Hz serially frequency modulate the 19 kHz subcarrier.
The fourth ranging tone is at 27.777 kHz.

9.2.  ASTRA 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G, 1H AND 2A BEACON DETAILS

The following characteristics apply to the beacons on ASTRA 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G,
1H and 2A.

During PCM-mode, the beacon is phase modulated (PM) by a telemetry subcarrier
with a subcarrier frequency of 32 kHz and a modulation index of 1.25+/-0.15
radians. The subcarrier is biphase modulated by telemetry data.

During ranging mode, the 32 kHz subcarrier is switched off and the beacon is
phase modulated by sequences of 4 ranging tones with a modulation index of
1.00+/-0.15 radians.

9.4.  ASTRA 2B BEACON DETAILS

The following characteristics apply to the beacons on ASTRA 2B.

During PCM mode, the beacon is phase modulated (PM) by a telemetry subcarrier
with a subcarrier frequency of 32 kHz and a peak modulation index of 1.5
radians. The subcarrier is coherent PSK modulated by telemetry data.


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<PAGE>   70
During ranging mode, the 32 kHz subcarrier is switched off and the beacon is
phase modulated by a ranging tone, which itself is modulated by an ambiguity
resolution code. The peak modulation index during ranging is 0.7 radians.

During simultaneous PCM and ranging on the TM downlink signal, the PCM-modulated
32 kHz subcarrier and ranging tone are combined into one baseband signal, which
modulates the main carrier with max, effective modulation indices of 1.4 radians
for the PCM-signal and 0.4 radians for the ranging tone.






















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<PAGE>   71
ANNEX 1

                       SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
                              TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT

                        MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT)

1    INTRODUCTION

In a digital broadcast environment with a multitude of services there is a need
for highly automated means to monitor and subsequently to provide information
(e.g. failure messages) about the availability of services as well as of service
components such as video, audio and subtitling and a Service Information tables.

In order to support the detection of service failures, to provide information
for remedial measures and to efficiently log such events, a transport mechanism,
the Multiplex Diagnostic Table (MDT) has been defined. This system will serve
for conveying diagnostic information about the consistency of all DVB/MPEG-2
multiplexes on ASTRA to the central Digital Network Operations Centre (DINO) of
Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES).

2    FUNCTIONALITY

MDTs can be generated at any point in the transmission chain to signal missing
streams (e.g. video, audio, subtitle or accompanied data) of Service Information
components (e.g. NIT, SDT, EIT or TDT) within a multiplex. As the underlying
concept of the MDT system is to detect and signal failures at the point where
they are generated, the system supervisor of the DVB/MPEG-2 encoding,
multiplexing and modulation equipment should monitor the correct functioning of
all equipment modules and should generate an MDT in the case a service failure
occurs for longer than 10 seconds.

MDTs shall then be periodically transmitted every 10 seconds until the failure
is fixed. In addition to faulty equipment modules also missing input streams can
be identified by subsequent modules in the transmission chain which then
generate corresponding MDTs.

This principle will be applied e.g. by the special monitor IRDs of the DINO
which can not only receive and extract incoming MDTs from the multiplexes but
also can generate MDTs in the case e.g. Service Information components are
missing. All MDTs are being fed via the ASTRA Service Information Update System
(ASIUS) into the Service Availability System (SAS) of the Digital Network
Operations Centre. Upon reception of an MDT an alert is initiated by the DINO
computer system which then enables the operator to act appropriately based on
detailed transponder specific diagnostic information provided together with the
alert message.


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<PAGE>   72
3   SYNTAX OF THE MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT)

The syntax of the MDT is conforming to the one defined in the standard ISO/IEC
13818-1 for the definition of private sections.

As defined in that standard, private data may be sent in transport stream
packets with PID not listed in the Program Map Table sections.

Therefore, Multiplex Diagnostic Tables shall be carried on PID 0x1FFD using the
normal payload unit start indicator/pointer field mechanism described in the
standard ISO/IEC 13818-1. This PID shall not be used for any other purpose on
the ASTRA Satellite Network. A MDT must be inserted in maximum one Transport
Stream Packet resulting in a maximum table size of 184 bytes.

<TABLE>
<S>                                             <C>     <C>
multiplex diagnostic section()[
     table id.................................   8      uimsbf
     section syntax indicator.................   1      bslbf
     SES reserved.............................   1      bslbf
     ISO reserved.............................   2      bslbf
     section length...........................  12      uimsbf
     transport stream id......................  16      uimsbf
     original network id......................  16      uimsbf
     MDT version number.......................   4      uimsbf
     Fault source.............................  12      uimsbf
     Fault type...............................  16      uimsbf
     for (l=0;i<N;i++)[
            Fault major.......................  16      uimsbf
            Fault minor.......................  16      uimsbf
     ]
</TABLE>

TABLE ID = 0xB0

SECTION SYNTAX INDICATOR = 0

SES RESERVED = 1

SECTION LENGTH: This is a 12 bit field, the first two bits of which shall be
"00". It specifies the number of bytes of the section, starting immediately
following the section length field. The section length shall not exceed 181
bytes so that the entire section has a maximum length of 184 bytes.

TRANSPORT STREAM ID: This is a 16 bit field which serves as a label to identify
the transport stream where the error or warning has occurred.



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ORIGINAL NETWORK ID: This 16 bit field gives the label identifying the
network id of the originating delivery system of the transport stream where the
error or warning has occurred.

MDT VERSION NUMBER: This 4 bit field identifies the version number of the MDT
structure. Currently, the MDT version number shall be set to "0".

FAULT SOURCE: This is a code that, together with the transport stream id and
the original network id, identifies the origin of the failure. Fault source
values can be defined by the operator of the transport stream within the ranges
defined in Table 1.

FAULT TYPE: This 16 bit field identifies the basic type of errors or warnings.
Only values described in Table 2 are defined. In every MDT section only one
Fault type shall be listed resulting in only one basic type of error or warning
per MDT.

FAULT MAJOR: This 16 bit field provides more detailed information about the
errors or warnings as defined by the Fault type. Depending on the value of the
Fault type, the Fault major has different meanings. Currently, only the values
given in Table 4 and 5 are defined. If for a Fault type no Fault major code is
defined, the loop within the MDT shall be empty. If for a Fault type several
Fault major codes are defined the loop may contain more than one of these codes.
In case of missing components of a service (Fault type = 0x0100) the Fault major
code is equal to the service id of this service.

FAULT MINOR: This field provides additional information about the error or
warning as described by the combination of Fault type and Fault major. If no
Fault minor code is defined for a Fault major code, the Fault minor field shall
be present and all bits shall be set to "1". For the time being Fault minor is
only defined for Fault type = 0x0100 (Component of service missing) as
described in Table 3. In that case the service id of the service comprising the
missing component is defined in the Fault major field and the missing component
is defined in the Fault minor field.


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<PAGE>   74
TABLE 1: FAULT SOURCE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
        FAULT SOURCE RANGE                            DESCRIPTION
              0x0000                                   UNDEFINED
        ------------------                            -----------
<S>                                             <C>
        0x0001,...,0x0064                       SI-editing & controller
        0x0065,...,0x01F4                            Audio encoder
        0x01F5,...,0x0226                            Video encoder
        0x0227,...,0x03B6                            Data inserter
        0x03B7,...,0x03E8                              CA system
        0x03E9,...,0x041A                             Multiplexer
        0x041B,...,0x044C                            Re-multiplexer
        0x044D,...,0x047E                               Modulator
        0x047F,...,0x060E                                Decoder
        0x060F,...,0x064O                         Network termination
        0x0641,...,0x0A00                            ASTRA reserved
        0x0A01,...,0x0FFF                             User defined

</TABLE>

TABLE 2: FAULT TYPE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
            FAULT TYPE                                DESCRIPTION
              0x0000                                   UNDEFINED
            ----------                                -----------
<S>                                           <C>
              0x0001                                  NIT missing
              0x0002                                  SDT missing
              0x0004                                  EIT missing
              0x0008                                  TDT missing
              0x0009                                  PAT missing
              0x000A                                  CAT missing
              0x0100                          Component of service missing
    Other fault type <= 0x0800                       ASTRA reserved
        Fault type > 0x0800                           User defined
</TABLE>

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<PAGE>   75
  TABLE 3: FAULT MINOR CODES FOR FAULT TYPE VALUE = 0x0100 (COMPONENT MISSING)
 (FAULT MAJOR SPECIFIES THE SERVICE ID OF THE SERVICE WITH MISSING COMPONENTS.)

             FAULT MINOR
      IF FAULT TYPE = 0x0100                      DESCRIPTION
      ----------------------                      -----------
               0x0001                       Video component missing
               0x0002                       Audio component missing
               0x0004                    EBU Teletext subtitles missing
               0x0008                    Associated EBU Teletext missing
               0x0010                        Data component missing
               0x0020                        DVB subtitling missing
               0x0040                              PMT missing
            Other values                          ASTRA reserved




     TABLE 4: FAULT MAJOR CODES FOR FAULT TYPE VALUE = 0x0002 (SDT MISSING)

            FAULT MAJOR
IF FAULT TYPE = 0x0002 (SDT MISSING)              DESCRIPTION
- ------------------------------------              -----------
               0x0001                          DVB-SI SDT missing
            Other values                         ASTRA reserved




     TABLE 5: FAULT MAJOR CODES FOR FAULT TYPE VALUE = 0x0004 (EIT MISSING)

            FAULT MAJOR
IF FAULT TYPE = 0x0004 (EIT MISSING)              DESCRIPTION
- ------------------------------------              -----------
               0x0001                          DVB-SI EIT missing
            Other values                         ASTRA reserved



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<PAGE>   76






                                   ASTRA LOGO





                     SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES S.A.
                    L - 6815 CHATEAU DE BETZDORF, LUXEMBOURG


                              TEL: (352) 710725-1
                             FAX: (352) 710725-548


           ASTRA is a trademark of Societe Europeenne des Satellites.
        The information and data contained herein are subject to change.






<PAGE>   77
                                  [ASTRA LOGO]



                            ASTRA SERVICE INFORMATION
                                 UPDATE SYSTEM
                                    (ASIUS)



                             TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION







SES-ASIUS
SYE-045/12-96

06 DECEMBER 1996                                                  CONFIDENTIAL
<PAGE>   78
                               TABLE OF CONTENTS

1    INTRODUCTION............................................................  2

2    CONCEPT OF THE ASTRA SERVICE INFORMATION UPDATE SYSTEM..................  2

3    FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OF ASIUS............................................  5

     3.1  SI Data Structures considered by ASIUS.............................  5

          3.1.1  Network Information Table (NIT).............................  5

          3.1.2  Service Description Table (SDT).............................  5

          3.1.3  Multiplex Diagnostic Table (MDT)............................  9

     3.2  SI Data Acquisition................................................  9

     3.3  SI Data Processing................................................. 10

     3.4  SI Data Distribution............................................... 10

4    GLOSSARY................................................................ 12

5    REFERENCES.............................................................. 13

     ANNEX 1................................................................. 14


SES-ASIUS                                                          CONFIDENTIAL
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                                       1









<PAGE>   79
1    INTRODUCTION

Service Information (SI) systems for Digital Video Broadcast are considered by
broadcasters and also by network operators as one of the crucial elements in
digital transmission of video, audio and data signals. With the plethora of
services being available in the digital age, an effective means of guiding
consumers around the various services on offer is an essential pre-requisite of
any consumer oriented digital transmission and reception system. Beyond
informing about the available services, there is also a need to allow for the
quick acquisition of any service that can be received.

Based on the DVB SI specification Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES) has
developed the ASTRA Service Information Update System (ASIUS) for providing
tuning information and also for informing the digital IRDs about all services on
the ASTRA network. In addition ASIUS monitors the Service Information on all
transponders, checks the presence and the correctness of this data and provides
also diagnostics information on the consistency of the multiplexes.


2    CONCEPT OF THE ASTRA SERVICE INFORMATION UPDATE SYSTEM

The ASTRA Service Information Update System (ASIUS) is an application of the DVB
Service Information specification as standardised in ETS 3000468/1/ and may
serve the Digital Satellite IRD to quickly tune to the receivable services on
ASTRA. It also enables the presentation of services and broadcasters in a
convenient way to the consumer.

This is achieved by compiling and transmitting an ASTRA Network Information
Table (ASTRA NIT) providing tuning information as well as an ASTRA Service
Description Table (ASTRA SDT) containing information about all services on all
transponders on the ASTRA network. Thus the IRD is enabled to present the names
of all services on ASTRA, the names of all corresponding broadcasters (service
providers) and the service_types such as TV, Radio, Teletext or data services,
without having to tune to each transponder.

The concept for the ASIUS involves the transmission of the ASTRA NIT on each
transponder. This NIT conveys information about the physical parameters of all
multiplexes on ASTRA (frequency, symbol rate, etc.) as well as the information
about the network itself (ID, name, satellite position).

Furthermore, the concept involves the transmission of the ASTRA SDT on two ASTRA
Service Information channels (Barker Channels), one with horizontal and one with
vertical polarization.

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                                       2

<PAGE>   80
As it is the objective to provide up-to-date network information and service
description data about all transponders on ASTRA, a concept for an automatic
updating of the ASTRA NIT/SDT has been developed, considering all updates from
the Betzdorf earth station as well as the remote uplinks.

The ASTRA NIT is mainly under the administration of SES (network operator)
except for parts as e.g. the Forward Error Correction (FEC) scheme which may be
adjusted by the remote uplink operators.

The multiplex specific SDTs are under the administration of the broadcasters.
ASIUS receives the SDTs transmitted on all transponders, extracts those parts
directly related to each respective transponder and compiles and ASTRA SDT with
service description information (e.g. service names, service providers,
service types) about all services on ASTRA.


                                   FIGURE 86


Figure 1: Transmission and updating of ASTRA NIT and SDT tables

SES - ASIUS                                                        CONFIDENTIAL
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                                       3
<PAGE>   81
The process of updating the ASTRA NIT and ASTRA SDT is illustrated in Figure 1.
The process involves the following steps:

1.  The ASTRA NIT can be received at all remote uplink stations outside Betzdorf
    and can then be inserted into the remotely uplinked multiplexes. The ASTRA
    SDT is transmitted on two transponders (one with horizontal, one with
    vertical polarization) from Betzdorf and therefore does not have to be
    received/inserted at the remote uplinks.

2.  Any remote uplink operator can at any time update the information in the NIT
    related to his remote uplink (i.e. change the FEC scheme of his transponder
    and/or add a service list descriptor) and/or the corresponding service
    description data in the SDT and insert the data into the remote multiplex.

3.  At Betzdorf, the NIT/SDT processing system performs the following tasks:

    a) receive all Transport Streams of ASTRA,

    b) extract those parts of the NITs and SDTs which have been altered by the
       remote uplinks,

    c) compile this update information to generate new versions of the ASTRA NIT
       and SDT,

    d) insert the updated ASTRA NIT into all multiplexes uplinked from Betzdorf,

    e) insert the updated ASTRA SDT into the multiplexes carrying the ASTRA
       Service Information channels.

4.  The remote uplinks again can receive this updated ASTRA NIT and insert the
    data into the remotely uplinked multiplexes.

After step 3, a complete update process of the ASTRA NIT and ASTRA SDT is
performed. The update process is continuously repeated. Thus, all remotely
mastered updates are almost immediately available in the ASTRA NIT/SDT.

The update process for the ASTRA NIT/SDT is stable since for each part of the
data there is only one master uplink assigned which is allowed to edit updates.
Other uplinks are slaves concerning the data mastered by a specific up-link
operator and therefore only insert the received updated data into their own
remote up-link.

The interconnection between ASIUS and other equipment of the Digital Network
Operations Centre (DINO) at Betzdorf is illustrated in Figure 2.

SES - ASIUS
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06 December 1996                                                 CONFIDENTIAL
                                       4
<PAGE>   82
3     FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OF ASIUS

3.1   SI DATA STRUCTURES CONSIDERED BY ASIUS

Regarding the various tables defined by MPEG-2 and by the DVB project, there are
only a few relevant for the ASIUS. These are the Network Information Table, the
Service Description Table, the Event Information Table (EIT), and the Time and
Date Table (TDT).

3.1.1 NETWORK INFORMATION TABLE (NIT)

The structure of the Network Information Table is presented in Figure 3. The
ASTRA NIT is divided in sections according to the MPEG-2 syntax. Each section
includes a loop over network related descriptors which is used for conveying the
network name descriptor and the linkage descriptors to the ASTRA Service
Information channel.

For each transport stream the NIT contains a loop over transport stream related
descriptors including the satellite delivery system descriptor with information
such as frequency, polarisation, modulation, symbol rate and FEC scheme.
Conveying an optional service list descriptor in that loop of the NIT is not
considered by ASIUS.

3.1.2 ASTRA SERVICE DESCRIPTION TABLE (SDT)

The structure of the Service Description Table is illustrated in Figure 4. The
ASTRA SDT is also divided into sections according to the MPEG-2 syntax. For each
Transport Stream at least one section with service description data is
transmitted. All SDT sections include a loop over all services on the
corresponding Transport Stream. For each service a loop of descriptors including
service descriptor and country availability descriptor is conveyed.

NVOD reference descriptor and time shifted service descriptor are also
considered by ASIUS. In order to identify the actual Transport Stream on which
Service Information is received and thus to identify the relevant SI parts that
have been updated at a remote uplink, the corresponding transports stream id can
be found in each header of a service description section for the actual
Transport Stream /1/.

SES-ASIUS
SYE-045/12-96

06 December 1996                                                   CONFIDENTIAL

                                       5


<PAGE>   83

                                   FIGURE 89


Figure 2: Interconnection between ASIUS and the Digital NOC

SES - ASIUS                                                        CONFIDENTIAL
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06 December 1996

                                       6
<PAGE>   84
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                        NETWORK INFORMATION TABLE (NIT)

                                ACTUAL NETWORK                  OTHER NETWORK
                ---------------------------------------------   -------------
                SECTION 1           SECTION 2       SECTION 3
                ---------           ---------       ---------

<S>                                <C>           <C>           <C>
               network id
             section number


FOR 1=0 ... N NETWORK DESCRIPTORS

        network name descriptor
          linkage descriptor

FOR 1 =0 ... N TRANSPORT STREAMS

        transport stream id
        original network id

 FOR 1=0 ... N TRANSPORT DESCRIPTORS

       delivery system descriptor

</TABLE>
              Figure 3: Structure of the Network Information Table

SES-ASIUS                                                         CONFIDENTIAL
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06 December 1996
                                       7

<PAGE>   85
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                        SERVICE DESCRIPTION TABLE (SDT)

                                 ACTUAL TRANSPORT STREAM
                ---------------------------------------------------------
                                                                 OTHER
                                                    TRANSPORT   TRANSPORT
                      TRANSPORT STREAM 1             STREAM 2    STREAM
                -------------------------------    -----------  ---------
                 SECTION 1           SECTION 2      SECTION 3

<S>                                  <C>            <C>           <C>
            transport stream id
             section number
            original network id

for 1=0 ... N services

            service id
         scrambling yes/no

     for 1=0 ... N descriptors

              service descriptor
       country availability descriptor
          NVOD reference descriptor
       time shifted service descriptor
</TABLE>

Figure 4: Structure of the Service Description Table

SES - ASIUS                                                         CONFIDENTIAL
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                                       8

<PAGE>   86
3.1.3  MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT)

In a digital broadcast environment with a multitude of services there is a
need for highly automated means to monitor and subsequently to provide
information (e.g. failure messages) about the availability of services as well
as of service components such as video, audio and subtitling and of Service
Information tables.

In order to support the detection of service failures, to provide information
for remedial measures and to efficiently log such events, a transport mechanism,
the Multiplex Diagnostic Table (MDT) has been defined by SES. This system is
serving for conveying diagnostic information about the consistency of all
DVB/MPEG-2 multiplexes on ASTRA to the central DINO in Betzdorf.

MDTs can be generated at any point in the transmission chain to signal missing
streams (e.g. video, audio, subtitle or accompanied data) or Service Information
components (e.g. NIT, SDT, EIT or TDT) within a multiplex. As the underlying
concept of the MDT system is to detect and signal failures at the point where
they are generated, the system supervisor of the DVB/MPEG-2 encoding,
multiplexing and modulation equipment should monitor the correct functioning of
all equipment modules and should generate an MDT in the case a service failure
occurs for longer than 10 seconds.

MDTs shall then be periodically transmitted every 10 seconds until the failure
is fixed. In addition to faulty equipment modules also missing input streams can
be identified by subsequent modules in the transmission chain which then
generate corresponding MDTs.

This principle is applied e.g. by the special monitor IRDs of the DINO which can
not only receive and extract incoming MDTs from the multiplexes but also can
generate MDTs in the case e.g. Service Information components are missing. All
MDTs are being fed via the ASIUS into the Service Availability System (SAS) of
the Digital Network Operations Centre. Upon reception of an MDT an alert is
initiated by the DINO computer system which then enables the operator to act
appropriately based on detailed transponder specific diagnostic information
provided together with the alert message.

Details about the MDT concept can be found in Annex 1.

3.2  SI DATA ACQUISITION

The ASTRA Service Information Update System in Betzdorf includes the reception
of all Transport Streams of the ASTRA Satellite System. From these Transport
Streams the relevant SI is extracted and passed over to the ASIUS processing
station. This includes the NIT for the actual network (ASTRA) and the SDT for
the actual Transport Stream. If a MDT has been received (which occurs only in
case of a failure), it will also be transferred


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                                        9

<PAGE>   87
to ASIUS.

The following processing steps have been implemented in ASIUS for the SI data
acquisition:

1.   Reception of the DVB/MPEG-2 Transport Streams from all ASTRA transponders.

2.   Extraction of all transponders SI data (NIT, MDT, SDT, EIT, TDT). By means
     of the version number mechanism provided in each section syntax, the IRD
     considers only the updated parts of this data.

3.   Transmission of all the updates from the IRDs to ASIUS. The IRDs
     furthermore monitor the availability of the NIT, SDT, EIT and TDT (Time and
     Date Table) in each Transport Stream and shall generate a Multiplex
     Diagnostic Table and transmit it to the ASIUS processor, if a failure is
     detected.

3.3  SI DATA PROCESSING AND MONITORING

After having received an update the ASIUS compiles a new version of the ASTRA
NIT and ASTRA SDT. Since the system has immediate access to all SI data on the
ASTRA network it monitors the presence, correctness, and also the consistency
of the SI data. In case of an erroneous situation an alarm is triggered and the
operators in the DINO are informed.

3.4  SI DATA DISTRIBUTION

After the compilation of the received SI data by the ASIUS processor, the
updated ASTRA NIT is transmitted on all transponder uplinked from Betzdorf. The
ASTRA SDT is inserted into the two transponders which contain the ASTRA Service
information channel. In addition a linkage descriptor is inserted in the ASTRA
NIT, which is available on all transponders. This descriptor points to
transport stream ids and service ids of the ASTRA Service Information channels.

If the consumer wants to have access to the ASTRA SDT the IRD will read the
linkage descriptor and tune to one of the corresponding transponders. After the
reading of the ASTRA SDT all services available on the ASTRA Satellite System
could be displayed. It is however assumed that certain filter mechanisms would
be applied to the data before displaying the information in a consumer friendly
way. More details on the functionality of the ASTRA Service Information channel
are described in SES' Technical Recommendations for Digital IRDs' /2/. A flow
chart of the access functionality for the ASTRA SDT is depicted in Figure 5.

SES-ASIUS                                                           CONFIDENTIAL
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                                       10
<PAGE>   88



                                  (FIGURE 94)






Figure 5: Example of the access functionality for the ASTRA SDT

SES-ASIUS                                                           CONFIDENTIAL
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06 December 1996



                                       11
<PAGE>   89
4       GLOSSARY

ASIUS   ASTRA Service Information Update System

DNO     Digital Network Operation Centre

DVB     Digital Video Broadcasting

DTH     Direct-to-Home satellite transmission

FEC     Forward Error Correction

IRD     Integrated Receiver Decoder

MDT     Multiplex Diagnostic Table

NIT     Network Information Table

NOC     Network Operation Centre

NVOD    Near-Video-On-Demand

SDT     Service Description Table

SES     Societe Europeenne des Satellites

SI      Service Information

SMATV   Satellite Master Antenna Television

SES-ASIUS                                                          CONFIDENTIAL
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06 December 1996


                                       12
<PAGE>   90
5    REFERENCES

/1/  ETS 300 458 "Digital broadcasting systems for television, sound and data
     services; specification for Service Information (SI) in Digital Video
     Broadcasting (DVB) Systems"

/2/  "Technical Recommendations for Digital Integrated Receiver Decoders", SES


SES-ASIUS                                                           CONFIDENTIAL
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06 December 1996



                                       13




<PAGE>   91
Annex 1

                       SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
                              TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT


                        MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT)


1    INTRODUCTION

In a digital broadcast environment with a multitude of services there is a need
for highly automated means to monitor and subsequently to provide information
(e.g. failure messages) about the availability of services as well as of
service components such as video, audio and subtitling and of Service
Information tables.

In order to support the detection of service failures, to provide information
for remedial measures and to efficiently log such events, a transport
mechanism, the Multiplex Diagnostic Table (MDT) has been defined. This system
is serving for conveying diagnostic information about the consistency of all
DVB/MPEG-2 multiplexes on ASTRA to the central Digital Network Operations
Centre (DINO) of Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES).

2    FUNCTIONALITY

MDTs can be generated at any point in the transmission chain to signal missing
streams (e.g. video, audio, subtitle or accompanied data) or Service
Information components (e.g. NIT, SDT, EIT or TDT) within a multiplex. As the
underlying concept of the MDT system is to detect and signal failures at the
point where they are generated, the system supervisor of the DVB/MPEG-2
encoding, multiplexing and modulation equipment should monitor the correct
functioning of all equipment modules and should generate an MDT in the case a
service failure occurs for longer than 10 seconds.

MDTs shall then be periodically transmitted every 10 seconds until the failure
is fixed. In addition to faulty equipment modules also missing input streams
can be identified by subsequent modules in the transmission chain which then
generate corresponding MDTs.

This principle is applied e.g. by the special monitor IRDs of the DINO which
can not only receive and extract incoming MDTs from the multiplexes but also
can generate MDTs in the case e.g. Service Information components are missing.
All MDTs are being fed via the ASTRA Service Information Update System (ASIUS)
into the Service Availability System (SAS) of the Digital Network Operations
Centre. Upon reception of an MDT an alert is initiated by the DINO computer
system which then enables the operator to act

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                                       14






<PAGE>   92
appropriately based on detailed transponder specific diagnostic information
provided together with the alert message.

3    SYNTAX OF THE MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT)

The syntax of the MDT is conforming to the one defined in the standard ISO/IEC
13818-1 for the definition of private sections.

As defined in that standard, private data may be sent in Transport Stream
packets with PID not listed in the Program Map Table sections.

Therefore, Multiplex Diagnostic Tables shall be carried on PID 0x1FFD using the
normal payload unit start indicator/pointer field mechanism described in the
standard ISO/IEC 13818-1. This PID shall not be used for any other purpose on
the ASTRA Satellite Network. A MDT must be inserted in maximum one Transport
Stream Packet resulting in a maximum table size of 184 bytes.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
multiplex diagnostic section()[
<S>                                                                  <C>
  table id..................................................   8 uimsbf
  section syntax indicator..................................   1 bslbf
  SES reserved..............................................   1 bslbf
  ISO reserved..............................................   2 bslbf
  section length............................................  12 uimsbf
  transport stream id.......................................  16 uimsbf
  original network id.......................................  16 uimsbf
  MDT version number........................................   4 uimsbf
  Fault source..............................................  12 uimsbf
  Fault type................................................  16 uimsbf
  for (I=O;i<N:i++)[
    Fault major.............................................  16 uimsbf
    Fault minor.............................................  16 uimsbf
  ]
</TABLE>

TABLE ID = 0xB0

SECTION SYNTAX INDICATOR = 0

SES RESERVED = 1

Section length: This is a 12 bit field, the first two bits of which shall be
"00". It specifies the number of bytes of the section, starting immediately
following the section length field. The section length shall not exceed 181
bytes so that the entire section has a maximum length of 184 bytes.

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                                       15
<PAGE>   93
TRANSPORT STREAM ID: This is a 16 bit field which serves as a label to identify
the Transport Stream where the error or warning has occurred.

ORIGINAL NETWORK ID: This 16 bit field gives the label identifying the
network id of the originating delivery system of the Transport Stream where the
error or warning has occurred.

MDT VERSION NUMBER: This 4 bit field identifies the version number of the MDT
structure. Currently, the MDT version number shall be set to "0".

FAULT SOURCE: This is a code that, together with the transport stream id and
the original network id, identifies the origin of the failure. Fault source
values can be defined by the operator of the Transport Stream within the ranges
defined in Table 1.

FAULT TYPE: This 16 bit field identifies the basic type of errors or warnings.
Only values described in Table 2 are defined. In every MDT section only one
Fault type shall be listed resulting in only one basic type of error or warning
per MDT.

FAULT MAJOR: This 16 bit field provides more detailed information about the
errors or warnings as defined by the Fault type. Depending on the value of the
Fault type, the Fault major has different meanings. Currently, only the values
given in Table 4 and 5 are defined. If for a Fault type no Fault major code is
defined, the loop within the MDT shall be empty. If for a Fault type several
Fault major codes are defined the loop may contain more than one of these
codes. In case of missing components of a service (Fault type = 0x0100) the
Fault major code is equal to the service id of this service.

FAULT MINOR: This field provides additional information about the error or
warning as described by the combination of Fault type and Fault major. If no
Fault minor code is defined for a Fault major code, the Fault minor field shall
be present and all bits shall be set to "1". For the time being Fault minor is
only defined for Fault type = 0x0100 (Component of service missing) as
described in Table 3. In that case the service id of the service comprising the
missing component is defined in the Fault major field and the missing component
is defined in the Fault minor field.


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                                       16
<PAGE>   94
TABLE 1: FAULT_SOURCE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

FAULT SOURCE RANGE                   DESCRIPTION
- ------------------                   -----------
<S>                             <C>
    0x0000                            Undefined
0x0001,...,0x0064               SI-editing & controller
0x0065,...,0x01F4                    Audio encoder
0x01F5,...,0x0226                    Video encoder
0x0227,...,0x03B6                    Data inserter
0x03B7,...,0x03E8                      CA system
0x03E9,...,0x041A                     Multiplexer
0x041B,...,0x044C                   Re-multiplexer
0x044D,...,0x047E                      Modulator
0x047F,...,0x060E                       Decoder
0x060F,...,0x0640                 Network termination
0x0641,...,0x0A00                   ASTRA reserved
0x0A01,...,0x0FFF                    User defined

</TABLE>


SES-ASIUS
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15 December 1995                                                    CONFIDENTIAL







                                       17
<PAGE>   95
TABLE 2: FAULT TYPE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                  FAULT TYPE                   DESCRIPTION
                  ----------                   -----------
       <S>                          <C>
                    0x0000                      Undefined
                    0x0001                     NIT missing
                    0x0002                     SDT missing
                    0x0004                     EIT missing
                    0x0008                     TDT missing
                    0x0009                     PAT missing
                    0x000A                     CAT missing
                    0x0100              Component of service missing
          Other fault type <= 0x0800         ASTRA reserved
            Fault type > 0x0800               User defined
</TABLE>

TABLE 3: FAULT MINOR CODES FOR FAULT TYPE VALUE = 0x0100 (COMPONENT MISSING)
(Fault major specifies the service id of the service with missing components.)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                 FAULT MINOR
           IF FAULT TYPE = 0x0100              DESCRIPTION
           ----------------------              -----------
     <S>                           <C>
                   0x0001                 Video component missing
                   0x0002                 Audio component missing
                   0x0004              EBU Teletext subtitles missing
                   0x0008              Associated EBU Teletext missing
                   0x0010                  Data component missing
                   0x0020                  DVB subtitling missing
                   0x0040                       PMT missing
               Other values                   ASTRA reserved
</TABLE>

SES-ASIUS                                                          CONFIDENTIAL
SYS-240/12

15 December 1995
                                     18
<PAGE>   96
TABLE 4: FAULT MAJOR CODES FOR FAULT TYPE VALUE = 0X0002 (SDT MISSING)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                    FAULT MAJOR
        IF FAULT TYPE = 0x0002 (SDT MISSING)       DESCRIPTION
        ------------------------------------       -----------
<S>                                              <C>
                      0x0001                    DVB-SI SDT missing
                   Other values                   ASTRA reserved
</TABLE>

TABLE 5: FAULT MAJOR CODES FOR FAULT TYPE VALUE = 0X0004 (EIT MISSING)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                    FAULT MAJOR
        IF FAULT TYPE = 0X0004 (SDT MISSING)       DESCRIPTION
        ------------------------------------       -----------
<S>                                              <C>
                      0x0001                    DVB-SI EIT missing
                   Other values                   ASTRA reserved
</TABLE>

        The information and data contained herein are subject to change.

                     Societe Europeenne des Satellites S.A.
                     L-6815 Chateau de Betzdorf, Luxembourg
                 Tel.: (352) 71 07 25-1, Fax: (352) 71 07 25-548


SES-ASIUS                                                           CONFIDENTIAL
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15 December 1995

                                       19




<PAGE>   1

                                                                  Exhibit 10.20


                                                                  CONFIDENTIAL












                               -------------------

                                    AGREEMENT

                               -------------------




                  for digital transmission on the ASTRA system


                                    between


                     SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES S.A.


                              PCI PROGRAMMING INC.

<PAGE>   2
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL
<TABLE>
<C>     <S>                                                             <C>
 1.     Interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     4
 2.     Agreement  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     6
 3.     Term . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     6
 4.     Charges  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     6
 5.     Spare TWTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     7
 6.     Unavailability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     7
 7.     Excluding Circumstances  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     8
 8.     Interruption Testing and Monitoring  . . . . . . . . . . . .     8
 9.     Pre-emption  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     9
10.     Use of Transponder and Encryption  . . . . . . . . . . . . .     9
11.     Service Information  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     9
12.     Compliance with Law  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    10
13.     SES' Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    10
14.     Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    10
15.     Termination  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    11
16.     Effect of Termination  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    11
17.     Force Maieure  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    12
18.     Limitation of Liability - Exclusivity of Remedies  . . . . .    12
19.     Indemnities  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    12
20.     Confidentiality  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    13
21.     Trademark - Logo and Press Releases  . . . . . . . . . . . .    13
22.     Notices  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    13
23.     Severability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    13
24.     Waiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    14
25.     Entire Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    14
26.     Amendment  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    14
27.     Proper Law and Jurisdiction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    14
</TABLE>
                                     2
<PAGE>   3
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL
<TABLE>
<C>     <S>                                                             <C>
28.     Legal Opinion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    14
29.     Condition Precedent  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    14
30.     Marketing Cooperation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    14
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<C>             <S>                                                     <C>
SCHEDULE I:     Satellite and Transponder Description and
                Performance Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . .    16
SCHEDULE II:    Customer Signals, Customer Uplink Signals and
                Uplink Facilities  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    18
SCHEDULE III:   Service(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    20
SCHEDULE IV:    Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    21
SCHEDULE V:     Conditional Access system  . . . . . . . . . . . . .    23
SCHEDULE VI:    Charges  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    24
SCHEDULE VII:   Priority and Pre-emption . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    26
SCHEDULE VIII:  ASTRA Access Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    29
SCHEDULE IX:    ASIUS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    30
</TABLE>
                                    3
<PAGE>   4
                                                             CONFIDENTIAL

                                   AGREEMENT

                              DATED 26 MARCH 1997

BETWEEN:

(1)    Societe Europeenne des Satellites S.A. L-6815 Chateau de Betzdorf, Grand
       Duchy of Luxembourg ("SES"); and

(2)    PCI Programming Inc.
       c/o Poland Communications Inc.
       1 Commercial Plaza
       Hartford, CT 06033, USA (the "Customer")

PREAMBLE:

(A)    SES is the operator of the ASTRA satellite system which comprises several
       satellites co-located at 19.2 degrees East for the retransmission of
       television and radio services;

(B)    The satellite, described in Schedule I-A hereto, is part of this
       satellite system;

(C)    The Customer wishes to use transponder capacity on a transponder of said
       satellite to transmit the digital services described herein on the terms
       and conditions set out below;

IT IS HEREBY AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

1.    INTERPRETATION

     1.1    In this Agreement, the following words and expressions shall have
            the meanings ascribed to them below:

            "Cahier des Charges" : the ministerial enactment (arrete
            ministeriel) of the Luxembourg government setting out the duties to
            be observed by SES in performance of the Concession;

            "Concession" : the concession contract ("Contrat de Concession")
            entered into by the government of Luxembourg and SES to enable SES
            to operate the Satellite System and any amendment thereof;

            "Customer Downlink Signals" : downlink RF(1)-QPSK(2) modulated time
            division multiplexed carrier carrying the Service(s) from the
            Customer's Transponder;

- --------------------------

1.      Radio frequency

2.      Quadrature phase shift keying

                                       4
<PAGE>   5
            "Customer Signals": the bit stream, carrying the Service(s),
            produced by the Customer and transmitted to the Uplink Facilities
            for onward transmission via the Customer's Transponder and
            conforming to SCHEDULE II;


            "Customer Start Date" or "CSD": the date on which the Customer has
            agreed to commence the transmission of the Service(s) on the
            Customer's Transponder, being the date upon which the Board of SES
            and the Government of Luxembourg have given their approval even if
            the Government's approval and operational service date of ASTRA 1G
            has occurred;

            "Customer Uplink Signals": the RF-QPSK modulated time division
            multiplexed carrier, carrying the Service(s), transmitted from the
            Uplink Facilities to the Customer's Transponder and conforming to
            SCHEDULE II;

            "Customer's Transponder": the transponder capacity on the Satellite
            as described in SCHEDULE I-B, or any alternative transponder
            capacity subsequently allocated to the Customer pursuant hereto, and
            via which the Customer transmits the Service(s);

            "Expiry Date": the last day of the Term;

            "LIBOR": the one month London inter bank offered rate, applying to
            the currency of this Agreement, as quoted by Banque et Caisse
            d'Epargne de l'Etat in Luxembourg on the due date for payment;

            "Minimum Transponder Performance": as defined in SCHEDULE I-D;

            "Operational Service Dates" or "OSD": the date on which SES declared
            the Satellite operational, being 1 June 1996;

            "Payment Period": a period of the Term in respect of which payments
            are payable or have been paid pursuant to SCHEDULE VI;

            "Pre-emption": the deliberate interruption and/or cessation of the
            availability of a transponder by SES in accordance with the rules
            set out in SCHEDULE VII and "Pre-empt" shall be construed
            accordingly;

            "Received Signal Power": as defined in SCHEDULE I-D;

            "Satellite": the ASTRA 1F satellite as described in SCHEDULE I-A;

            "Service(s)": the Customer's services described in SCHEDULE III;

            "SES' Associates": SES' officers, employees, consultants, agents,
            contractors or subcontractors however it is understood that CLT/DTS
            performing the play-out for the Customer, are not considered as SES
            Associate;

            "Spare TWTA": a spare travelling wave tube amplifier which can be
            switched to recover traffic on the Satellite;

            "Target Market": as defined in SCHEDULE III;

            "Term": the duration of this Agreement as specified in CLAUSE 3;

            "transponder": a part of the Satellite which receives, amplifies and
            frequency.


                                       5
<PAGE>   6
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


            translates the uplink signals and retransmits them as downlink
            signals;

            "UNAVAILABLE", "UNAVAILABILITY": as defined in CLAUSE 6;

            "UPLINK FACILITIES": all equipment and ancillary facilities used to
            transmit the Customer Uplink Signals to the Satellite conforming to
            SCHEDULE II;

            "VAT": Value added tax or any similar tax or charge.

     1.2    In case of conflict between this Agreement and the Schedules hereto,
            this Agreement shall prevail.


2.   AGREEMENT

     With effect from CSD SES will perform the transmission of the Customer
     Uplink Signals carrying the Service(s) by exclusively providing the
     Customer's Transponder for the purpose and monitor the digital transmission
     of the Customer Uplink Signals on the terms set out herein. This Agreement
     does not include multiplexing and uplinking.


3.   TERM

     3.1    This Agreement shall begin on the date hereof and expire on the
            tenth (10th) anniversary of CSD.

     3.2    Either party may terminate this Agreement upon 6 months written
            notice if the Customer does not target the Polish DTH market prior
            to 1 January 1999. "Target the Polish DTH market" means that (i)
            the Customer shall have a licence or permit (if necessary) for its
            activity and (ii) actively markets and promotes DTH reception by
            ensuring availability in the market of decoder boxes (integrated
            receiver devices ("IRD's").


     3.3    Notwithstanding any other term of this Agreement:

            (i)  SES may terminate this Agreement immediately by notice in
                 writing to the Customer if an event of free majeure prevents
                 the Satellite from becoming operational;

            (ii) The Customer may terminate this Agreement by not less than
                 thirty (30) days prior written notice to SES at any time prior
                 to 31 December 1998.

            In either case, each party shall be discharged of all liability and
            obligation to the other.


     4.   CHARGES

     4.1    The Customer shall pay the charges set out in SCHEDULE VI as and on
            the dates set out therein.

     4.2    Sums overdue shall be subject to a late payment interest charge at
            2% over LIBOR from the due date. The interest shall accrue on a
            daily basis.

     4.3    All sums payable by the Customer under SCHEDULE VI are quoted
            exclusive of any VAT or other tax or duties. The Customer
            undertakes to pay any applicable VAT, other tax or duties upon
            receipt of an appropriate invoice from SES.

     4.4    All sums due under this Agreement shall be paid in full without
            set-off, counter-claim or other deduction.

     4.5    Any sums owed by SES to the Customer for Unavailability pursuant to
            CLAUSE 6 shall be calculated by SES within 15 days from the date on
            which such an event occurred and shall be paid to the Customer
            within thirty (30) days thereafter. If the Customer disagrees with
            the amount so calculated and notified by SES, the Customer shall so
            notify SES in writing and the parties shall seek in good faith to
            resolve the disagreement. Payments for Unavailability after the due
            date for

                                       6
<PAGE>   7
            payment determined hereunder shall accrue interest at the rate set
            out in CLAUSE 4.2, unless such payments are in dispute.

     4.6    In the circumstances set out in CLAUSE 7.2, the Customer shall not
            be relieved of its obligation to pay the charges payable hereunder.

5.   SPARE TWTA

     If the Customer's Transponder becomes Unavailable and if a spare TWTA is
     available, then, subject to the priority rules set out in SCHEDULE VII, SES
     shall provide its use to the Customer as soon as reasonably possible.

6.   UNAVAILABILITY

     6.1    The Customer's Transponder shall be regarded as Unavailable if:

            6.1.1. the Received Signal Power falls below the Minimum Transponder
                   Performance by more than 1 dB;

            6.1.2  the interruption of the Service(s) pursuant to CLAUSE 8.1
                   exceeds thirty (30) minutes in any calendar quarter;

            6.1.3  any failure of the Satellite or any part thereof causes an
                   interruption of transmissions of the Service(s); or

            6.1.4  the 27.5 MS/s QPSK digital carrier at the centre frequency of
                   the Customer's Transponder, complying fully with SCHEDULE II,
                   which saturates the Customer's Transponder as indicated by
                   the satellite DLA input power telemetry as specified by SES
                   and has a 3/4 rate FEC, exhibits a Bit Error Rate worse than
                   10-9 when received on a typical 60 cm antenna with no
                   pointing error, with a G/T of no worse than 13.5 dB/K located
                   in Betzdorf, Luxembourg, under clear sky conditions. It is
                   understood that SES shall have no obligation to monitor the
                   bit error rate.

     6.2    During any period of Unavailability the Customer may obtain (at its
            cost) temporary bridging services from an alternative service
            provider. The Customer's payment obligations hereunder shall be
            suspended from the start of the period of Unavailability to the end
            of such period or, if later, the date the Customer's arrangements
            for bridging services in respect of such period of Unavailability
            come to an end, however such date shall not be later than 30 days
            after the end of any period of Unavailability. In this regard, SES
            shall refund to the Customer the pro rata temporis portion of the
            charges paid by the Customer for the period of Unavailability and/or
            the Customer shall not be liable to pay SES the pro rata temporis
            portion of the charges payable (but not yet paid) in respect of such
            period of Unavailability (as applicable).

     6.3    If the Customer's Transponder becomes Unavailable for a period of
            thirty (30) or more consecutive days, then the Customer may
            terminate the Agreement by written notice to SES ( provided that
            such notice is sent while the Customer's Transponder is Unavailable)
            and CLAUSE 16.1 shall apply.

                                       7
<PAGE>   8
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL

     6.4    Clauses 5, 6.2 and 6.3 shall be the Customer's sole remedies in the
            event of an Unavailability and SES shall have no other obligation.

7.   EXCLUDING CIRCUMSTANCES

     Clauses 6.2 and 6.3 shall not apply:

     7.1    to an Unavailability caused by an act or omission of the Customer or
            of the customer's Associates;

     7.2    where the Customer Signals, the Customer Uplink Signals or the
            Uplink Facilities do not comply with Schedule II or where the
            Customer Signals are not received by the Uplink Facilities or the
            Customer Uplink Signals are not received by the Customer's
            Transponder due to no fault of SES or any SES Associate.

8.   INTERRUPTION, TESTING AND MONITORING

     8.1    SES shall be entitled to interrupt the Service(s) and to require the
            Customer to cease transmission of the Customer Uplink Signals where
            necessary (i) to provide the cause of a Spare TWTA, and (ii) for
            operational testing, maintenance, monitoring, preventive or curative
            repair or adjustment to be carried out either with respect to the
            Satellite as a whole or part thereof, or one or more of its
            transponders where necessary, in SES' reasonable opinion, to
            preserve the integrity of the Satellite or the overall quality of
            the satellite transmissions in the short, medium or long term. SES
            shall give the Customer as much notice thereof as is practicable in
            the circumstances and shall agree with the Customer upon the date
            and time of interruption wherever possible.

     8.2    SES shall also be entitled to interrupt the Service(s) or to require
            the Customer to cease transmission of the Customer Uplink Signals if
            the Customer is in breach of its obligations hereunder ALWAYS
            PROVIDED THAT if such breach is due to a technical issue, SES shall
            not interrupt the Service(s) without allowing the Customer
            reasonable period of time to correct it, unless the technical issue
            either (i) is interfering with another customer of SES, (ii) could
            cause potentially damage or degradation to the Satellite or to its
            proper functioning or (iii) could affect the quality of the
            transmissions provided by the Satellite. Nothing in this CLAUSE 8.2
            shall permit SES to interrupt the Services in circumstances where
            there is a bona fide dispute between the parties as to any fees due
            to be paid under this Agreement. Any such dispute, if not resolved
            by negotiation, shall be dealt with as provided for in CLAUSE 27.

     8.3    SES shall monitor the Customer Uplink Signals and the performance of
            the Customer's Transponder in accordance with the provisions of
            SCHEDULE IV and supply an analysis of the results when so requested
            by the Customer. Such data shall be limited to information which SES
            can reasonable be expected to obtain and which it can reveal without
            liability or breach of any duty to any third party. Such information
            shall be kept confidential.

     8.4    The Customer shall procure that the operator of the Uplink
            Facilities shall assist SES in making any tests to ensure that such
            Facilities and the Customer Uplink

                                       8
<PAGE>   9
                                                                  CONFIDENTIAL

            Signals comply with Clause 10.3

     8.5    All Service(s) using the Customer's Transponder shall be uplinked
            from the same uplink antenna.

9.   PRE-EMPTION

     - Intentionally deleted -

10.  USE OF TRANSPONDER AND ENCRYPTION

     10.1   The frequencies for the Customer Uplink Signals and the Customer
            Downlink Signals initially allocated by SES shall be those stated in
            Schedule 1-B or notified to the Customer before CSD.

     10.2   The Customer shall, on CSD, commence transmitting the Service(s) and
            thereafter maintain full transmission of the majority of the
            Service(s) as described in SCHEDULE III. For the avoidance of doubt
            this CLAUSE 10.2 is not designed to interfere with the Customer's
            plans for the roll out of the Service(s) and SES accepts that such
            plans do not envisage the transmission of a full complement of
            Service(s) for the first year of this Agreement and may also mean
            that the Customer does not have any Service(s) ready to commence
            transmission on CSD.

     10.3   The Customer shall procure that the Customer Signals and Customer
            Uplink Signals and Uplink Facilities comply with SCHEDULE II and do
            not interfere with or damage the Satellite or any of its
            transponders.

     10.4   The Customer may, if so provided in SCHEDULE V, encrypt the Customer
            Signals provided that the Customer, at its costs, provides SES with
            ten operational decoders authorised for reception and any other
            equipment needed to receive the Customer Downlink Signals.

     10.5   SES shall have the right, at any time, to replace the transponder
            carrying the Service(s) on the Satellite by another transponder on
            any other ASTRA satellite at the same orbital position provided that
            the replacement transponder has the same polarization, bandwidth and
            the same uplink and downlink signal frequency as the transponder
            used by the Customer prior to such replacement and provides Minimum
            Transponder Performance. Unless SES uplinks the Service(s), SES will
            endeavour to provide to the Customer advance notice of 24 hours to
            perform the necessary operations to uplink the Service(s) to the
            other ASTRA satellite. To avoid a Service interruption, the Customer
            shall take all necessary arrangements with the operator of the
            Uplink Facilities to accommodate such a transponder replacement and
            SES will either (i) move the Customer's Transponder in tandem with
            any other customer's transponder on the Satellite or (ii) relax the
            technical requirements of the Access Agreement to require only two
            (2) uplinks for the three (3) allocated customer's transponders with
            frequencies in the E and F bands.

     10.6   The Customer shall not use the Customer's Transponder in any way not
            specified in this Agreement.

11.  SERVICE INFORMATION

     The Customer shall provide to SES the Service(s) information in compliance
     with SCHEDULE III.

                                       9

<PAGE>   10
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL

12.  COMPLIANCE WITH LAW

     12.1   The Customer shall comply to all material extent with all laws,
            regulations or provisions relevant for the performance of this
            Agreement, shall, where necessary, at all times have and comply with
            a broadcasting license or authorization for the Service(s) and shall
            promptly inform SES of any material change thereof. If the
            Service(s) is not subject to the laws of a member of the European
            Union it shall, nevertheless, comply with the provisions of the
            "Television Without Frontiers" directive of 3 October 1989, as may
            be amended, as transposed into the laws of Luxembourg being
            currently Article 6 and Chapter IV of the Luxembourg Electronic
            Media Law of 27 July 1991.

     12.2   SES shall not exercise its right to terminate this Agreement
            under CLAUSE 15.1 by reason of non-compliance by the Customer
            pursuant to CLAUSE 12.1 except where such non-compliance has been
            determined by a court or other authority with competent jurisdiction
            or where otherwise requested by the Government of the Grand Duchy of
            Luxembourg. Moreover if compliance with CLAUSE 12.1 would result in
            the contravention of any future law or regulation in the Target
            Market, its non-compliance with CLAUSE 12.1 shall constitute an
            event of force majeure.

13.  SES' AUTHORITY

     This Agreement is subject to the continuing right of SES to provide the
     Customer's Transponder pursuant to the Concession and the Cahier des
     Charges. If this right is withdrawn, then this Agreement shall terminate
     automatically unless the Government of Luxembourg wishes to undertake SES'
     rights and obligations hereunder. In either case, SES shall be discharged
     of all liability and obligation to the Customer subject to CLAUSE 16.


14.  ASSIGNMENT

     14.1   Subject to the remainder of this CLAUSE 14 the Customer shall not
            assign, transfer, sub-let, or otherwise allow any third party to
            directly or indirectly exercise its rights, in whole or in part,
            under this Agreement. For the purpose hereof, an assignment shall
            also include a change in the control of the Customer or of a
            substantial part of its assets or business.

     14.2   SES hereby authorises the Customer at any time to assign its rights
            under this Agreement to (a) any affiliate or (b) Procable Sp Z O.O.
            ("Procable") provided that the Customer retains not less than a
            33% shareholding in Procable, and in any such event on condition
            that the Customer agrees to continue to be bound by all its
            obligations and liabilities hereunder and to hold SES harmless from
            any breach of this Agreement by its Assignee. For the purposes of
            this CLAUSE 14.2, a company will be regarded as an affiliate of the
            Customer if the Customer holds not less than a 50% interest in the
            shares or equivalent of that company or if the company holds at
            least 50% interest in the Customer or a company being under common
            control with the Customer.


     14.3   Upon SES' and the Luxembourg Government prior written consent, which
            shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed, the Customer may
            sub-contract the benefit of

                                       10
<PAGE>   11
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

            this Agreement to any third party provided that (i) no such
            sub-contract shall relieve the Customer of its obligations and
            liabilities under this Agreement and the Customer shall be
            responsible for the acts, default and omissions of the sub-
            contractor, its employees and agents as fully as if they were
            acts, default, omissions of the Customer itself and (ii) the
            Customer will share revenues exceeding the charge payable in the
            relevant calendar year with SES on a 50/50 basis.

15.         TERMINATION

     In addition to the termination rights provided herein including without
     limitation the Customer's right to terminate as specified in CLAUSE 6.3, a
     party may terminate this Agreement forthwith by written notice of the other
     party:

     15.1   commits a material breach of its obligations hereunder and fails to
            remedy such breach (if capable of remedy) within thirty (30) days
            of written notice from the party requiring such breach to be
            remedied (for the avoidance of doubt, circumstances giving rise to
            the right to terminate under CLAUSE 3.2 or CLAUSE 6.3 do not
            constitute a material breach);

     15.2   is unable to pay its debts as they mature; becomes insolvent; is
            subject to bankruptcy, reorganisation, moratorium, insolvency or
            similar proceedings for the relief of financially distressed
            debtors; is subject to winding up, dissolution or liquidation
            (judicial or non-judicial) proceedings; voluntarily or involuntarily
            suspends or discontinues its business; liquidates or sells a
            substantial part of its assets; makes an assignment for the benefit
            of its creditors; or is subject to the appointment of a receiver,
            liquidator or other third party over its assets or business; or

     15.3   has been prevented by an event of force majeure from materially
            performing its obligations hereunder for sixty (60) days or more.
            SES will waive its right to terminate the Agreement if and for such
            period of time the Customer continues to pay the charge hereunder.


16.         EFFECT OF TERMINATION

     16.1   Where the Agreement is terminated (i) by the Customer, pursuant to
            CLAUSES 6.3, 15.1 or 15.2, (ii) by either party, pursuant to CLAUSE
            15.3, or (iii) automatically pursuant to CLAUSE 13, then SES shall
            refund to the Customer the pro rata temporis portion of the advance
            payments made by the Customer pursuant to SCHEDULE VI relating to
            the unexpired portion of the Payment Period in progress on the date
            of termination. SES may deduct from such amount all payments, taxes
            and duties payable to governments or other entities for which the
            Customer is liable hereunder and all sums owed to SES at that time.

     16.2   Where SES terminates this Agreement pursuant to CLAUSES 15.1 or
            15.2, the Customer shall forthwith pay to SES any sum owed by the
            Customer to SES at that time and shall continue to be liable for and
            to pay the charge provided in SCHEDULE VI (as if the Agreement had
            not been terminated) until such time as SES allocates the Customer's
            Transponder to another customer. SES shall have no obligation to
            market the Customer's Transponder in priority to unused transponder
            capacity on

                                       11
<PAGE>   12
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

            SES' satellites and for a price inferior to that payable by the
            Customer to SES (unless the Customer makes up for the difference);
            however, SES shall use its reasonable efforts to mitigate ITS
            losses. If the Customer's Transponder is allocated to another
            customer, SES shall refund to the Customer the pro rata temporis
            portion of the advance payments made by the Customer pursuant to
            SCHEDULE VI relating to the unexpired portion of the Payment Period
            in progress on the date at which the other customer starts
            transmitting.

17.  FORCE MAJEURE

     Neither party shall be considered to be in breach or be liable for any
     damage suffered by the other party or its Associates, by reason of any
     failure to perform any obligation hereunder if and for so long as such
     failure is the result of an event of force majeure. Subject to CLAUSE
     15.3, the respective obligations of both parties shall be suspended for
     such time as such an event prevents either party from performing its
     obligations.

18.  LIMITATION OF LIABILITY - EXCLUSIVITY OF REMEDIES

     18.1   Without prejudice to CLAUSES 5,6, and 16, SES shall not be
            liable to the Customer or to the Customer's Associates in any way
            whatsoever, except for its gross negligence ("faute lourde") or
            wilful misconduct ("dol").

     18.2   The remedies expressly provided in this Agreement are the sole
            remedies available to the parties and the parties waive any other
            rights that they may have.

19.  INDEMNITIES

     19.1   The Customer shall totally indemnify SES and SES' Associates and
            customers against all claims, losses, damages, expenses arising
            from:

            19.1.1 damages caused to third parties as a result of a breach by
                   the Customer of this Agreement or a civil duty;

            19.1.2 infringement of copyright, defamation, libel or invasion of
                   privacy (or any allegation thereof) arising in the course of
                   the use of the Customer's Transponder;

            19.1.3 claims in any way connected with the quality or contents of
                   any programme or display transmitted as part of the
                   Service(s), or with any failure, however caused, to perform
                   an obligation owed to any person to transmit any such
                   programme or display;

            19.1.4 infringement by the Customer by virtue of exercising its
                   rights under this Agreement of any other third party right;

            19.1.5 damage caused to the Satellite by the Customer or the
                   operator of the Uplink Facilities save where SES is said
                   operator.

     19.2   A party (the "First Party") shall indemnify the other party
            against all caims, losses,

                                       12

<PAGE>   13
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

            damages or expenses arising from an infringement of patent caused by
            the use of any apparatus or system provided by the First Party to
            the other.

     19.3   Neither party shall admit any liability or make any concession in
            respect of any claim brought against it for which it may seek an
            indemnity under this CLAUSE 19 without the prior written consent of
            the indemnifying party and the indemnifying party shall have the
            right to control any such proceedings at its own costs and expenses.


20.  CONFIDENTIALITY

     Each party shall, and shall procure that its Associates shall, both
     throughout the TERM and thereafter, keep confidential the provisions of
     this Agreement together with all other information disclosed on a
     confidential basis by the other party hereunder and shall not disclose the
     same to any person except when acting under a court order. Unless otherwise
     specified in writing, all information regarding the performance of the
     Satellite or the Customer's Transponder or the business affairs of the
     parties shall be regarded as confidential. Where necessary to secure its
     financing or otherwise in the legitimate course of its business, each party
     shall have the right to disclose this Agreement to its professional
     advisors, financial institutions and stock exchanges authorities.

21.  TRADEMARK - LOGO AND PRESS RELEASES

     21.1   Each party agrees to allow the other to use its trademark and logo,
            free of charge, throughout the Term, solely for the purpose of
            indicating in any document, advertising or communication made or
            commissioned by such party that the Service(s) is transmitted via
            the ASTRA satellite system.

     21.2   The parties shall agree on a press release to announce this
            Agreement.

22.  NOTICES

     Any notice shall be in writing and shall be sent to the address of the
     party to be served as above written or to such other address previously
     notified to the other party. All notices shall be delivered by hand,
     registered, or certified post or facsimile. Notices shall be deemed to have
     been received: (i) if delivered by hand, upon such delivery, (ii) if sent
     by post, (seventy-two) 72 hours after the envelope containing such notice
     was posted, or (iii) if sent by facsimile, when the transmission of the
     facsimile is complete. Notices sent by facsimile shall be confirmed by
     letter. The initial facsimile number of the parties are: (i) SES: (352) 710
     725 291, (ii) the Customer: (48) 22 43 56 31 or (48) 22 43 65 31.

23.  SEVERABILITY

     In the event that a provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid,
     inapplicable or unenforceable such provision shall be replaced by one which
     comes closest to the intention of the parties and the remaining provisions
     of this Agreement shall be unimpaired.

                                       13


<PAGE>   14
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

24.  WAIVER

     No relaxation, delay or indulgence by either party in enforcing any right
     under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof.

25.  ENTIRE AGREEMENT

     This Agreement, with the Schedules, is the entire agreement between the
     parties in connection with the subject matter hereof and there are no
     other agreements, written or oral. This Agreement supersedes all prior
     understandings, representations or communications between the parties and
     each party declares that it has not relied on any representation except as
     expressly set out herein.

26.  AMENDMENT

     No provision of this Agreement may be amended, waived or terminated, nor
     may any breach thereof be waived otherwise than (in each case) by the
     express written agreement of the parties hereto. The Agreement will, where
     necessary, be amended to reflect the reasonable changes made by the
     Luxembourg Government to the Concession or the Cahier des Charges or the
     Luxembourg Laws.

27.  PROPER LAW AND JURISDICTION

     This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the
     laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the parties hereby submit to the
     exclusive jurisdiction of the Luxembourg courts.


28.  LEGAL OPINION

     The Customer shall, at SES' request and cost, procure a legal opinion
     issued by the Customer's external counsel in favour of SES' lending
     institutions, in a form reasonably satisfactory to SES and its lending
     institutions.

29.  CONDITION PRECEDENT

     This Agreement is subject to (i) the approval of the Board of SES, the
     Board of the Customer and of the Government of Luxembourg and (ii) the
     availability of the Customer's Transponder at SES. The parties shall each
     use their reasonable efforts to obtain the approvals required and SES shall
     use its reasonable efforts to make the Customer's Transponder available as
     soon as practicable after contract signature but in any event before 30
     April 1997.

30.  MARKETING COOPERATION

     Taking into account the Customer's plan to introduce into the market an
     aggregate amount of 500,000 IRD's during the start phase of DTH SES and the
     Customer shall cooperate jointly

                                       14

<PAGE>   15
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

     in the marketing activities for rolling out the Customer's digital
     services. Such cooperation shall be mutually agreed from time to time.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the duly authorised representatives of the parties hereto
have executed this agreement in two originals on the date first before written.


PCI PROGRAMMING INC.                     SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES S.A.


/s/ Robert E. Fowler, III               /s/ Romain Bausch
- --------------------------              --------------------------
By:                                     Romain Bausch
Title:                                  Director General












































                                       15
<PAGE>   16
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL


SCHEDULE I:  SATELLITE AND TRANSPONDER DESCRIPTION AND PERFORMANCE
             SPECIFICATIONS


A.   ASTRA 1F SATELLITE DESCRIPTION

1.   Satellite Manufacturer                      :  Hughes Communications
                                                    Int. Inc.


2.   Expected Fuel Lifetime (from OSD)           :  14 years


3.   Satellite Station-keeping accuracy          :  Longitude +/- 0.10 degrees
                                                    Inclination +/- 0.10 degrees

4.   Stabilisation System                        :  3 axis

5.   Designed Channel Capacity                   :


     A maximum of 20 transponders at start of life reducing to 20 transponders
     at end of life can be operated simultaneously.  All transponders are
     eclipse protected and may be selected from the following configurations:

     18 transponders in the 17300 - 17700 MHz uplink and 11700 - 12100 MHz
     downlink frequency band, 16 transponders in the 12750 - 13000 MHz uplink
     and 10700 - 10950 MHz downlink frequency band (ASTRA 1D backup), 16
     transponders in the 13000 - 13250 MHz uplink and 10950 - 11200 MHz downlink
     frequency band (ASTRA 1C backup), 16 transponders in 14000 - 14250 MHz
     uplink and 11450 - 11700 MHz downlink frequency band (ASTRA 1B backup).


6.   Polarization                                :  Dual Linear

7.   Cross-polarization isolation (for areas
     within the 50 dBW e.i.r.p. contour) on
     vertical and horizontal transponders        :  Typical 30 dB

     For the avoidance of doubt, the specifications set out in Parts B and C
     below shall constitute part of the terms and conditions of this Agreement
     but the description of the Satellite in this Part A is for the Customer's
     information only and shall not constitute any term or condition of this
     Agreement.


B.   SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF TRANSPONDER USE


1.   Initial transponder number on the Satellite :  79

2.   Customer Uplink Signal frequency            :  17592.50 MHz

3.   Customer Downlink Signal frequency          :  11992.50 MHz


4.   Capacity provided                           :  27.5 MS/s QPSK

5.   Hours of transmission                       :  24 hours per day

6.   Pre-emptibility status                      :  See SCHEDULE VII-A

7.   Polarisation                                :  Horizontal


C.   ORBITAL POSITION AND TRANSPONDER BANDWIDTH

1.   Orbital position                            :  19.2 degrees East


                                       16
<PAGE>   17
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL


2.   Usable Transponder bandwidth                :  33 MHz (in the band 12.10
                                                   to 12.50 GHz)

D.   TRANSPONDER PERFORMANCE



1.   "MINIMUM TRANSPONDER PERFORMANCE" is defined as a satellite single carrier
     saturation e.i.r.p. measured under clear sky conditions by a measurement
     test set-up according to standard engineering practice as described in
     SCHEDULE I-E of:


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                      F-Band             F-band on
     City             on ASTRA 1F        ASTRA 1G
     ---------        -----------        ---------
     <S>              <C>                <C>
     Bialystok        50                 50
     Gdansk           52.5               50.5
     Kielce           52                 51.5
     Krakow           52                 52
     Lublin           50                 51
     Olsztyn          52                 50.5
     Radom            51.5               51.5
     Warsaw           51.5               51
     Wroclaw          52.5               52
     Betzdorf         51                 51
</TABLE>


     It is understood that SES shall have no obligation to monitor or measure
     the Minimum Transponder Performance in any sites listed above save for
     Betzdorf.

2.   "RECEIVED SIGNAL POWER" is defined as signal power in dBW on the ground in
     Luxembourg measured by a measurement test set-up according to standard
     engineering practice as described in SCHEDULE I-E.  If the measurement is
     not performed under clear sky conditions, the measured value shall be
     corrected to account for the effect of weather and propagation conditions.

3.   The Minimum Transponder Performance and Received Signal Power shall be
     those measured or otherwise ascertained where the Customer is complying or
     procuring compliance with SCHEDULE II.


E.   MEASUREMENT TEST SET-UP AND STANDARD ENGINEERING PRACTICE

     The saturated transponder e.i.r.p. and Received Signal Power is measured
     under all weather conditions at the SES Satellite Control Facility in
     Betzdorf, Luxembourg.  The measured e.i.r.p.  for the Customer's
     Transponder is kept on record.

     In order to accurately determine each transponder e.i.r.p., a measurement
     set-up consisting of a calibrated fluxmeter and radiometer is used.  The
     fluxmeter measures the power flux density at earth surface created by each
     individual satellite transponder.

     The radiometer measures atmospheric attenuation along the satellite path,
     assuming the atmosphere to be an absorbing homogeneous medium at a constant
     temperature.  Atmospheric attenuation is measured at the beginning of each
     e.i.r.p. measurement cycle.

     The fluxmeter uses a calibrated antenna, with a calibrated RF measurement
     subsystem comprising, among others, a LNA, a down converter and a true RMS
     power sensor.  A 33 MHz selectivity bandpass filter is used to reduce
     errors due to adjacent channel interference during e.i.r.p. measurements.


                                       17

<PAGE>   18
                                                               CONFIDENTIAL

SCHEDULE II:  CUSTOMER SIGNALS, CUSTOMER UPLINK SIGNALS AND UPLINK FACILITIES

A.   SPECIFICATIONS OF CUSTOMER SIGNALS AND CUSTOMER UPLINK SIGNALS

     To ensure consistent and uniform reception of high quality video, audio and
     data services by the users of ASTRA transmitted services, and to allow full
     inter-operability between different manufacturer's equipment, SES requires
     each Customer Signal and Customer Uplink Signal to meet the applicable
     provisions of the following specifications.

     ISO/IEC 13818-1/-2/-3

     Generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio (Part 1: Systems:
     Part 2: Video and Part 3: Audio).

     ETS 300 421

     Digital broadcasting systems for television, sound and data services:
     framing structure, channel coding and modulation for 11/12 GHz satellite
     services.

     ETS 300 468

     Digital broadcasting systems for television, sound and data services;
     specification for Service Information (SI) in Digital Video Broadcasting
     (DVB) Systems.


     ETR 154

     Implementation guidelines for the use of MPEG-2 Systems, video and audio in
     satellite and cable broadcasting applications.

     ETR 211

     Guidelines on implementation and usage of service information.

     The Customer agrees to transmit the ASTRA Network Information Table ("NIT")
     as described in SCHEDULE IX. More specifically, the Customer Uplink Signals
     shall automatically update its transmitted NIT to reflect any changes of
     the ASTRA NIT. However, the Customer may modify the parts of the NIT
     describing the Customer Uplink Signals (e.g. addition of service list
     descriptor).

B.   CUSTOMER SIGNALS

1.   Video source coding shall be as specified in MPEG-2 main profile/main
     level.

2.   Audio source coding shall be as specified in ISO/IEC 13818-3 and as
     defined in ETR 154.


C.   CUSTOMER UPLINK SIGNAL AND UPLINK FACILITIES

     The Customer shall comply with the specifications and parameters set-out in
     the ASTRA Access Agreement, a copy of which has been separately provided to
     the Customer, which may be amended by SES, as necessary, provided that such
     amendment also applies to other customers on the Satellite.

                                       18




<PAGE>   19
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL



     More specifically, the Customer Uplink Signals and the Uplink Facilities
     having access to the ASTRA satellite shall meet the performance
     requirements established in the ASTRA Access Agreement. SES will provide a
     reasonable prior notice for any amendment requiring a change of hardware.

     The following parameters shall also be met:

1.   EARTH STATION EIRP

     For access to the Satellite, the Uplink Facilities must be able to produce
     a minimum earth station e.i.r.p. of to be notified by SES to the Customer
     once the Customer has informed SES of the uplink site dBW per RF channel
     for transmissions originated from to be notified by the Customer to SES
     before OSD.

     However, given that the Service(s) can be transferred to another ASTRA
     satellite, pursuant to CLAUSE 10.5, such transfer may require a separate
     earth station and the Customer should note that for such satellite the
     Uplink Facilities must be able to produce a minimum earth station e.i.r.p.
     to be determined by SES, which may differ from that of the earth station
     which accesses the Satellite.

2.   TRANSMISSION STANDARD

     The transmission standard used for the video, audio, and data services
     shall be in accordance with the specifications given in Section A above.




                                       19
<PAGE>   20
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

SCHEDULE III:   SERVICE(S) (CLAUSE 10)

The Customer's Transponder shall be used exclusively for the transmission of
the following packages of television services, and related audio, and other
services as specified below all of them targeting at the general public located
within the Target Market. The expression ""Target Market'' means any or all of
the following countries: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania,
Moldova, Bulgaria, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Yugoslavia, Macedonia and Albania. It is
understood that those countries are only to such extent part of the Target
Market as they are covered by the Satellite footprint.

A.   PAY-PER-VIEW SERVICES, being television services for which the viewer pays
     on the basis of the actual consumption.

B.   PAY TV SERVICES, being encrypted television services available upon
     subscription.

C.   UNENCRYPTED SERVICES, being television services available without any
     special decoding equipment.

D.   OTHER SERVICES: [TBD]

For each service considered, the Customer shall provide SES with the name of
the service, the types of service (pay-per-view, pay TV, unencrypted), the
nature of the programming and the language(s) of the service.

The above information, for any given Service, shall be provided at least 30
days before the proposed start date for the Service and shall be subject to
SES' consent which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed and, where
required, to the approval of the Government of Luxembourg. Any change of
service shall be subject to the prior written consent of SES which shall not be
unreasonably withheld or delayed.



                                       20

<PAGE>   21
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL


SCHEDULE IV: MONITORING (CLAUSE 8)

In addition to performing the activities related to controlling the Satellite,
SES will also monitor all the transmissions through all its transponders as
described below.

SES will maintain a Network Operations Centre (NOC) capable of monitoring the
Received Signal Power of the Customer's Transponder on a continual basis in
order to produce a computerized record of the RF characteristics of the
Customer's Transponder.

As part of these activities, SES conducts a quarterly test using its In Orbit
Test System (IOTS) of the performance of each transponder on the ASTRA satellite
system. This test will necessitate that the Customer's Uplink Signal be switched
off during selected periods of time in accordance with CLAUSE 8.1 for not more
than thirty (30) minutes at a time.

If a problem is detected, the NOC Operators will initiate and co-ordinate
corrective measures in co-operation with the Uplink Facility which is
transmitting the Customer Uplink Signals.

The NOC's specific functions and responsibilities will include:

- -    Receiving and handling reports of Unavailability from customers

- -    Co-ordinating the remedy of the reported difficulty and initiating any
     necessary procedures required to restore lost or impaired service in the
     most expedient manner

- -    Maintaining a complete and accurate record of all reported and observed
     service failures, impairments, and customer contacts

- -    Co-ordinating the overall line-up, pre-service tests, and actual provisions
     of service

- -    Arranging the routine monitoring of the Customer's Transponder as described
     above

- -    Ensuring that any potential events that may affect the operation of the
     Satellite as a whole or of the Customer's Transponder (sun transit, routine
     testing, etc.) are notified to the Customer as soon as practicable and in
     advance if possible

The reporting points for operational purposes shall be:

At the Customer:      c/o Baker McKenzie
                      ul. Dluga 26/28
                      00-238 Warsaw
                      Tel: (48) 22 635 3521
                           (48) 22 635 4111
                      Fax: (48) 22 635 9447
                           (48) 39 121 1213

At SES:   Network Operations Centre
          Satellite Control Facility
          L-6815 Chateau de Betzdorf
          Luxembourg
          Tel: for urgent problems only:

               (352) 710 152

          Tel: for normal operating and general use:



                                       21
<PAGE>   22
                                                                  CONFIDENTIAL

            Tel:   (352) 710 725-344
            Fax:   (352) 710 725-227
                   (352) 710 725-213

            Attn:  Head Network Operations Centre

The above telephone and facsimile numbers are subject to change by SES or the
Customer.

                                       22
<PAGE>   23
                                                                  CONFIDENTIAL

SCHEDULE V: CONDITIONAL ACCESS SYSTEM

The Customer may encrypt the Customer Signals using such system as it shall
reasonably select, in conjunction with SES, SES' approval not to be unreasonably
withheld or delayed. The conditional access system selected shall be DVB
compliant (based upon the DVB common scrambling algorithm and mechanisms). A
conditional access system cannot be applied to the Customer Signals during the
time period where SES provides, in its ground station in Betzdorf, encoding and
multiplexing of the Customer Signals.

                                       23
<PAGE>   24
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL

SCHEDULE VI:    CHARGES (CLAUSE 4)

A.   The charge payable by the Customer to SES in each year of this Agreement
     (being a year which commences on CSD or any anniversary of that date) shall
     be the sum of the fees to be determined in accordance with paragraphs (i)
     and (ii), subject always to paragraph (iii):




      (i)  At the Customer's election (the Customer to notify SES of its
           election not less than thirty (30) days prior to the commencement of
           each year of this Agreement) either:



                   -    an annual fixed fee of * USD or
                   -    a monthly fixed fee of * USD.



           The annual fixed fee (when payable) shall be paid on the first day
           of the relevant year of this Agreement.  The monthly fixed fee
           (when payable) shall be payable on the first day of each month of
           the relevant year of this Agreement.  The Customer hereby elects to
           pay the monthly fixed fee in the first year of this Agreement, the
           first payment of which shall be on CSD.


      (ii) A variable fee of * USD for each qualifying digital household up
           to * such households and * USD for each qualifying digital
           household exceeding * such households ALWAYS PROVIDED that on or
           from 31 March 1999 until the Expiry Date, there shall be deemed to
           be not less than * qualifying digital households irrespective of the
           actual number of such households.  The expression "qualifying
           digital household" means any household located in which the occupant
           has a current contract with the Customer or one of its affiliates or
           authorized agents or distributors which gives him the right to
           receive any services of the Customer and/or any affiliates of the
           Customer that are transmitted using the Customer's Transponder by
           means of direct pick-up by the occupant (via direct-to-home) of the
           digital signal on an IRD available in the Target Market.



           Following determination of the number of qualifying digital
           households at the end of the calendar year ending in the relevant
           year of this Agreement, the variable payment will be payable on the
           average number of houses of the said calendar year (2 point
           average) thirty (30) days after notification.  For the calendar
           year ending in the first year of this Agreement, the 2 point
           average will start at zero.  Consequently the number of qualifying
           digital households for the first year of this Agreement will be
           half of the number calculated at the end of that calendar year.

           In the first and last year of this Agreement, the variable payment
           will be the number of qualifying digital households multiplied by
           the appropriate rate(s) adjusted to the number of months in the
           relevant calendar year since CSD or until the Expiry Date (as
           applicable).

           Any calculation of the number of qualifying digital households
           shall be verified by an independent auditor to be agreed upon by
           the parties.


     (iii) The aggregate charges payable by the Customer to SES in any year
           shall not exceed 6,750,000 USD.

     [*confidential treatment requested; omitted portions have been filed
     separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission]


B.   The Customer shall effect payment of all charges to the bank account
     identified by SES in the corresponding invoice.

C.   The daily rate of charge to be applied for the purposes of calculating any
     refund to be made pursuant to Clause 6 of the Agreement shall be the
     aggregate charges payable for the Payment Period in the course of which an
     Unavailability occurred divided by the number of

                                     24

<PAGE>   25
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

days contained in said Payment Period.




                                       25
<PAGE>   26
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

SCHEDULE VII:  PRIORITY AND PRE-EMPTION

A.   CUSTOMER STATUS

The Customer shall have the status of: Non-pre-emptible Customer as defined in
PART B below.

B.   CATEGORIES OF USE

SES' customers using the ASTRA satellite system shall be accorded (for each
transponder used) priority status as: Protected, Non-Pre-emptible or
Pre-emptible.

1.   Protected Customers:

     a.   will not be subject to pre-emption by other customers;

     b.   will be entitled to be provided with the use of a back-up transponder
          (this will require the pre-emption of Pre-emptible Customer); and

     c.   shall have the benefit of Spare TWTAs, in preference to certain other
          customers, as set out in PART C below.

2.   Non-Pre-emptible Customers:

     a.   will not be subject to pre-emption themselves;

     b.   will have no rights of pre-emption themselves; and

     c.   shall have the benefit of Spare TWTAs as set out in PART C below.

3.   Pre-emptible Customers:

     a.   have no rights or pre-emption themselves;

     b.   may have their transponder pre-empted, as set out in PART D below, in
          order to provide a back-up transponder to a Protected Customers; and

     c.   shall have the benefit of Spare TWTAs, but subject to the rights of
          other customers in this Schedule, as set out in PART C below.

C.   PRIORITY RULES FOR SPARE TWTAs

As a general rule, Spare TWTAs on the Satellite will be provided on a First
failed/first served basis.

However, in the event of simultaneous transponder failures (or where the
sequence of failures cannot be determined) on the Satellite, and if the number
of failures exceeds the number of available Spare TWTAs, then the following
rules shall apply:

1.   Protected Customers have priority over Non-Pre-emptible Customers who, in
     turn, have priority over Pre-emptible Customers.

2.   Where, pursuant to this Schedule, conflicting rights to Spare TWTAs arise
     between customers with the same priority status, priority shall be given in
     accordance with the following rules:



                                       26
<PAGE>   27
                                                               CONFIDENTIAL

     a.   customers whose service starts on the Operational Service Date
          ("OSD CUSTOMER") shall have priority over those service starts at a
          date after such Operational Service Date;

     b.   between OSD Customers, priority shall be determined by reference to
          the expiry dates of their contracts so that the customers with the
          later dates of expiry have priority over customers with earlier expiry
          dates;

     c.   between OSD Customers whose contracts expire on the same date,
          priority shall be determined by reference to the dates on which they
          signed contracts for the use of a transponder, so that the customers
          who signed earlier have priority over those who signed later;

     d.   between customers whose services start after the Operational Service
          Date ("POST OSD CUSTOMERS"), priority shall be determined by reference
          to the customer start dates, so that the customers with earlier
          customer start dates shall have priority over customers with later
          customer start dates;

     e.   between Post OSD Customers who have the same customer start dates,
          priority shall be determined in the same manner as applicable for OSD
          Customers under PARAGRAPH 2(b) and (c) above; and

     f.   between customers originating from different satellites (i.e.
          customers whose initial transponder was located on an ASTRA satellite
          other than the Satellite), priority shall be determined by reference
          to their respective start date on their respective initial satellite,
          so that the customers with earlier customer start dates shall have
          priority over customers with later customer start dates.

3.   For the purpose of the above rules, (i) the expiry date of a contract
     shall, in case of extension of the contract, refer to the extended expiry
     date, and (ii) the customer start date refers to the start date of a
     customer's initial service and is not affected by any subsequent change of
     the service transmitted under a given customer contract.

D.   PRE-EMPTION RULES

1.   If PART A above provides that the Customer has the status of
     Pre-emptible Customer, then the Customer's Transponder shall be
     pre-emptible on the terms set out below.

2.   a.   SES shall have the right to pre-empt the Customer's Transponder
          to provide back-up capacity to restore the service of a Protected
          Transponder in respect of which SES is contractually bound to provide
          back-up capacity at the time pre-emption occurs and if there is no
          Spare TWTA that can be used to restore the Protected Transponder's
          service.

     b.   As used herein, "PROTECTED TRANSPONDER" means the transponder of a
          Protected Customer on another ASTRA satellite, to be nominated by SES
          and notified by SES to the Customer at any time, the protection of
          which directly or indirectly requires the pre-emption of the
          Customer's Transponder. There may be several Protected Transponders
          nominated by SES, provided that each is on a different ASTRA
          satellite. SES may increase or reduce the number of Protected
          Transponders at any time by giving prior written notice to the
          Customer.

3.   To Pre-empt the Customer's Transponder:

     a.   SES will give the Customer at least 24 hours advance warning (by
          fax or phone) of

                                       27
<PAGE>   28
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

          such pre-emption save in the event of consecutive failures of a
          Protected Transponder, in which case such pre-emption warning may be
          shorter, it being understood that SES will keep the Customer informed
          of the status of the Protected Transponders affected by such
          consecutive failures; and

     b.   at the expiry of the aforementioned advance warning, SES shall have
          the right to forthwith interrupt the transmission of all video and
          audio services using the Customer's Transponder and the Customer shall
          therefore forthwith, upon SES' request, interrupt the transmission of
          the Customer Uplink Signal. SES shall in addition have the right to
          interrupt the reception of the Customer Uplink Signals by the
          Customer's Transponder.

4.   The Customer shall comply diligently with SES' instructions for the
     purposes of implementing the pre-emption and shall require the operator of
     the Uplink Facilities to do the same.

5.   a.   If SES pre-empts the Customers' Transponder, then, at that time, SES'
          obligation to provide the use of the Customer's Transponder, and the
          Customer's obligation to pay the corresponding charge, shall be
          suspended. The Agreement shall terminate 30 days after the pre-emption
          date unless SES, within this period, restores the Protected
          Transponder in respect of which pre-emption was implemented. If such
          restoration occurs after this 30 days period, then SES shall offer the
          Customer's Transponder back to the Customer on the terms set out in
          this Agreement for the outstanding period of Term. The Customer shall
          have fifteen (15) days to accept SES' offer.

     b.   Upon termination of the Agreement pursuant hereto, as the case may be,

          i.   SES shall refund to the Customer the pro rate temporis portion of
               the advance payments made by the Customer pursuant to SCHEDULE VI
               and relating to the unexpired portion of the period (in respect
               of which the Customer has paid in advance) in progress on the
               date of pre-emption; or

          ii.  the Customer shall pay to SES all outstanding sums owed to SES at
               the time of termination.

6.   a.   The Customer shall fully cooperate with SES for the exercise, by SES,
          of its right of pre-emption provided herein and shall not raise any
          objection, initiate any legal proceedings against SES or the Protected
          Customer benefiting from the pre-emption, or take other steps, to
          prevent, delay or obstruct the exercise of this right and the Customer
          shall be liable for all damages suffered by SES or such Protected
          Customer in connection therewith.

     b.   The Customer shall not make any claim against SES or the Protected
          Customer benefiting from the pre-emption in connection with the
          exercise, by SES, of its right of pre-emption and shall indemnify SES
          against any related third party claim.


                                        28
<PAGE>   29
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL


SCHEDULE VIII:  ASTRA ACCESS AGREEMENT




                                       29
<PAGE>   30
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL


SCHEDULE IX:  ASIUS




                                       30
<PAGE>   31






                                  [ASTRA LOGO]



                             ASTRA ACCESS AGREEMENT


                         PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF
                        EARTH STATIONS HAVING ACCESS TO
                                ASTRA SATELLITES











- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASTRA ACCESS AGREEMENT                         SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 AUGUST 1996                                  CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY


<PAGE>   32







                                  [ASTRA LOGO]







                     SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES S.A.
                     L-6815 CHATEAU DU BETZDORF, LUXEMBOURG

                              TEL: (352) 710725-1
                             FAX: (352) 710725-548


           ASTRA is a trademark of Societe Europeenne des Satellites.
        The information and data contained herein are subject to change.


<PAGE>   33
                                    CONTENTS

<TABLE>
<C>  <S>                                                                     <C>
1.   INTRODUCTION..........................................................   1

2.   ANTENNA SYSTEM........................................................   2
     2.1.  General.........................................................   2
     2.2.  Frequency Range.................................................   2
     2.3.  Off-axis Antenna Gain Pattern...................................   4
     2.4.  Polarisation....................................................   4
     2.5.  Motorisation, Antenna Pointing and Tracking.....................   4

3.   RF EQUIPMENT..........................................................   5
     3.1.  Frequency Range and Agility.....................................   5
     3.2.  E.i.r.p. Capability.............................................   5
     3.3.  Transmitter Inhibit.............................................   5
     3.4.  Out-of-Band e.i.r.p. Emission...................................   6
     3.5.  Off-axis e.i.r.p. Density.......................................   6
     3.6.  Frequency Stability.............................................   6

4.   AMPLITUDE AND GROUP DELAY DISTORTIONS.................................   7
     4.1.  FM TV transmission in FSS and BSS bands.........................   7
     4.2.  Digital transmission in FSS and BSS bands.......................   8
     4.3.  Group Delay Equalisation........................................   9

5.   BASEBAND PARAMETERS FOR FM TV TRANSMISSION............................  10
     5.1.  General.........................................................  10
     5.2.  PAL Transmission Standard.......................................  10
           5.2.1.  Video Signal............................................  10
                   5.2.1.1.  Frequency Deviation...........................  10
                   5.2.1.2.  Energy Dispersal..............................  10
                   5.2.1.3.  Pre-emphasis..................................  11
           5.2.2.  On-line Testing.........................................  11
           5.2.3   Audio Signals...........................................  11
                   5.2.3.1.  Audio Channel Modes...........................  11
                   5.2.3.2.  Subcarrier Frequency..........................  15
                   5.2.3.3.  Subcarrier Bandwidth..........................  16
                   5.2.3.4.  Subcarrier Modulation Index...................  16
                   5.2.3.5.  Analogue Audio................................  16
                             5.2.3.5.1.  Analogue Audio Deviation..........  16
                             5.2.3.5.2.  Analogue Audio Bandwidth..........  16
                             5.2.3.5.3.  Pre-emphasis......................  16
                   5.2.3.6.  Digital Audio.................................  17
                             5.2.3.6.1.  Sampling Method...................  17
                             5.2.3.6.2.  Modulation Method.................  17
                             5.2.3.6.3.  Auxiliary Data....................  17
                   5.2.3.7.  Network Control Carrier.......................  17
           5.2.4   Teletext................................................  17
</TABLE>

- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASTRA ACCESS AGREEMENT                         SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 AUGUST 1996                                  CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                       i
<PAGE>   34

<TABLE>
<C>  <S>                                                                     <C>
6.   CHANNEL CODING, MODULATION, MULTIPLEXING AND SOURCE CODING
     FOR DIGITAL SERVICES..................................................  18
     6.1.  General.........................................................  18
     6.2.  Modulation......................................................  18
           6.2.1.  BSS bands...............................................  18
           6.2.2.  FSS bands...............................................  18
           6.2.3.  Earth Station Degradation...............................  18
     6.3.  Channel coding..................................................  18
     6.4.  Power Spectrum Density Mask.....................................  19
           6.4.1.  BSS Bands...............................................  19
           6.4.2.  FSS Bands...............................................  19
     6.5.  Multiplexing....................................................  20
           6.5.1.  General.................................................  20
           6.5.2.  Transport Stream........................................  20
           6.5.3.  Service Information.....................................  20
     6.6.  Source Coding...................................................  21

7.   ASTRA SATELLITE INFORMATION...........................................  22
     7.1.  ASTRA 1 series..................................................  22
           7.1.1.  ASTRA 1 Transponder Frequency Plan......................  22
     7.2.  ASTRA 2 series..................................................  31
           7.2.1.  ASTRA 2 Transponder Frequency Plan......................  31

8.   ORBITAL POSITION / STATION KEEPING....................................  35

9.   BEACON INFORMATION....................................................  35
     9.1.  ASTRA 1A and ASTRA 1B Beacon Details............................  36
     9.2.  ASTRA 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G and 1H Beacon Details..................  36
     9.3.  ASTRA 2A Beacon Details.........................................  36
     9.4.  ASTRA 2B Beacon Details.........................................  37

Annex 1....................................................................  38
     MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT)......................................  38
</TABLE>







- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASTRA ACCESS AGREEMENT                         SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 AUGUST 1996                                  CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                       ii
<PAGE>   35
1.   INTRODUCTION

In order to access an ASTRA satellite, approval must first be obtained from
Societe Europeenne des Satellites - SES. The purpose of this approval is to
control the technical parameters of the Uplink Facilities and Customer's Uplink
Signal, to ensure that the following objectives are met:

- -    The desired signal quality and availability are achieved;

- -    Harmful interference is not produced in the other transmissions carried by
     any ASTRA spacecraft;

- -    The interference produced in other satellite systems will not exceed the
     coordinated levels.

This document outlines the specifications established by SES in order to achieve
those objectives. Access to a specific ASTRA satellite will only be granted
after compliance to the specifications has been demonstrated to the satisfaction
of SES.

In case of contradiction between the ASTRA Access Agreement and the Customer's
Transponder Agreement, the latter shall prevail.

The following definitions are utilised in this document:

OPERATOR - Person, firm, corporation or other legal entity using an ASTRA
transponder.

SATELLITE CONTROL FACILITY (SCF) - SES earth station complex located at
Betzdorf, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

DIGITAL TRANSMISSION FACILITY (DTF) - Part of the SES earth station complex,
located at Betzdorf, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, in which digital services are
handled.

ANALOGUE NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTRE (NOC) - The monitor and control center for
all analogue ASTRA services, located at the SCF. This provides a 24 hour monitor
and control network reporting point for service quality monitoring and problem
resolution for the ASTRA analogue satellites.

DIGITAL NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTRE (DINO) - The monitor and control centre for
all ASTRA digital services, located at the DTF. This provides a 24 hour monitor
and control network reporting point for service quality monitoring and problem
resolution for the ASTRA digital satellites.

REFERENCE STANDARD EARTH STATION (RSES) - These stations are highly maintained
up- and downlinks to be used in developing baseline performance standards for
transmissions carried by the ASTRA satellites.


ASTRA ACCESS AGREEMENT                         SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 AUGUST 1996                                  CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY


                                       1
<PAGE>   36
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
        SATELLITE               REFERENCE STANDARD EARTH STATION
        ---------               --------------------------------
        <S>                                <C>
        ASTRA 1A...........................BTZ # 2
        ASTRA 1B...........................BTZ # 3
        ASTRA 1C...........................BTZ # 4
        ASTRA 1D...........................BTZ # 5
        ASTRA 1E...........................BTZ # 6
        ASTRA 1F...........................BTZ # 10
        ASTRA 1G...........................BTZ # 12
        ASTRA 1H...........................BTZ # 14
        ASTRA 2A...........................BTZ # 13
        ASTRA 2B...........................BTZ # 15
</TABLE>

        Table 1. ASTRA REFERENCE STANDARD EARTH STATIONS

2.   ANTENNA SYSTEM

2.1  GENERAL

A dedicated antenna system shall be used for access to any ASTRA satellite.
Simultaneous access to two or more ASTRA satellites by a single antenna system
is not permitted, but it is permitted for one antenna to access a single
spacecraft in both the FSS and BSS bands. By using a dedicated antenna system as
specified herein for a given ASTRA satellite, link performance in terms of
uplink and downlink Carrier/Thermal Noise (C/N) and Carrier/Cross Polar
Interference (C/X) can be maintained.

2.2  FREQUENCY RANGE

The antenna system is required to meet all the specifications set in the next
items operating in the appropriate FSS or BSS frequency range.

The uplink frequency ranges for the different ASTRA satellites (primary and
back-up bands) are shown in the following Table 2.

- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASTRA ACCESS AGREEMENT                         SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 AUGUST 1996                                  CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                       2

<PAGE>   37
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

                                 FSS                         BSS

  Satellite      12.75-13.25  13.75-14.00 14.00-14.50     17.30-18.10

<S>            <C>     <C>     <C>     <C>     <C>     <C>     <C>
ASTRA 1A.....                                   A-Band
ASTRA 1B.....                           B-Band
ASTRA 1C.....           C-Band                  A-Band
ASTRA 1D.....   D-Band  C-Band          B-Band          E-Band
ASTRA 1E.....   D-Band  C-Band          B-Band          E-Band
ASTRA 1F.....                                   A-Band  E-Band  F-Band
ASTRA 1G.....                   G-Band                  E-Band  F-Band
ASTRA 1H.....                   G-Band                  E-Band  F-Band
ASTRA 2A.....                   G-Band                  E-Band  F-Band
ASTRA 2B.....                   G-Band  B-Band          E-Band  F-Band

</TABLE>

                     Table 2.   ASTRA Uplink Frequency Bands

- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
ASTRA ACCESS AGREEMENT                SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 AUGUST 1996                         CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                   3
<PAGE>   38
2.3.  OFF-AXIS ANTENNA GAIN PATTERN

The gain, (expressed in dBi), relative to an isotropic antenna, at any off-axis
angle (-) (expressed in degrees) shall comply with the following:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FREQUENCY RANGE (GHz)     GAIN (dBi)               ANGULAR RANGE
- ---------------------     ----------               -------------
<S>                      <C>                      <C>
14.00 - 14.50 . . . . .  G </- 29 - 25 log (-)       1 degree  < (-) </-   20 degrees
                         G </- 32 - 25 log (-)      20 degrees < (-) </-   48 degrees
                         G </- -10                  48 degrees < (-) </-  180 degrees
12.75 - 13.25 . . . . .  G </- 29 - 25 log (-)     0.5 degrees < (-) </- 36.3 degrees
13.75 - 14.00 . . . . .  G </- -10                36.3 degrees < (-) </-  180 degrees
17.30 - 18.10 . . . . .  G </- 29 - 25 log (-)       1 degree  < (-) </- 36.3 degrees
                         G </- -10                36.3 degrees < (-) </-  180 degrees
</TABLE>

2.4.  POLARISATION

The ASTRA satellites employ dual linear orthogonal polarisation. The antenna
polarisation angle will be set with SES during service line-up, following the
appropriate procedure established by the NOC and the DINO. The cross-polarised
signal component transmitted by the antenna shall be as specified below:

                              FSS band:  30 dB
                              BSS band:  35 dB

2.5. MOTORISATION, ANTENNA POINTING AND TRACKING


Permanent uplink antennas shall be motorised in both azimuth and elevation to
enable rapid repointing in case of necessity, and to facilitate accurate antenna
pattern measurements.

Further, the utilisation of a suitable tracking system is recommended in order
to meet the e.i.r.p. stability requirement specified in the following section
3.2. The tracking system design shall be based on the ASTRA satellite station
keeping and beacon frequency parameters, which are presented in sections 8 and 9
respectively. It shall guarantee the clear sky polarisation value specified in
the previous section 2.4.


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ASTRA ACCESS AGREEMENT                        SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 AUGUST 1996                                 CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                         4
<PAGE>   39
3.    RF EQUIPMENT

The RF equipment, including any redundant equipment, is required to meet all
the specifications set out in the following sections 3.1 to 3.6.

3.1.  FREQUENCY RANGE AND AGILITY

It shall be possible to set the carrier centre frequency to within +-125 kHz.

3.2.  E.I.R.P. CAPABILITY

The e.i.r.p. will be established by SES based on the utilised channel and on
the uplink geographical location.

It is expected that SES may request changes in the earth station e.i.r.p.
during the course of the contract, to account for changes in the transponder
performance over its lifetime, utilisation of redundant units or utilisation of
a different transponder.

The uplink e.i.r.p. stability shall be equal to or better than +-0.5 dB
including antenna pointing and tracking errors.

Means shall be provided to allow adjustment of the carrier level to within 0.5
dB of the specified value.

3.3.  TRANSMITTER INHIBIT

Operators accessing ASTRA satellites may be required by the NOC or the DINO to
shut down a transmission in the case where it is producing harmful interference
into other transmissions. Shut down of a transmission may also be required to
allow the switching into operation of redundant units in the satellite.

In order to comply with this requirement, the Operator shall provide
continuous manning of the uplink site or a remote control system to another
location which will be manned continuously.

The transmitter shall utilise a system which automatically inhibits the
transmission of a chain upon the detection of failure conditions such as loss
of phase lock on an upconverter or excessive HPA transmit power. This system may
also be designed to, alternatively, switch the transmission to a stand-by chain.


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1 AUGUST 1996                                  CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY
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<PAGE>   40
3.4.  OUT-OF-BAND E.I.R.P. EMISSION

Earth station out-of-band emissions are additional sources of interference for
other carriers utilising ASTRA transponders. The two contributions to
out-of-band e.i.r.p. emission are spurious output and intermodulation products.
Note that the specification applies across all ASTRA uplink bands (both FSS and
BSS) for all stations. The specified limits for these two contributions are the
following:

- --   The out-of-band on-axis e.i.r.p. emissions in the 12.75 - 13.25, 13.75 -
     14.50, and 17.30 - 18.10 GHz bands, resulting from spurious output, must
     not exceed 4.0 dBW/4 kHz;

- --   The out-of-band on-axis e.i.r.p. emissions in the 12.75 - 13.25, 13.75 -
     14.50, and 17.30 - 18.10 GHz bands, resulting from intermodulation
     products, must not exceed 12.0 dBW/4 kHz.

3.5.  OFF-AXIS E.I.R.P. DENSITY

This parameter has a direct impact on the interference produced in other
satellite systems. In order to keep this interference within acceptable levels,
the earth station must comply with the following e.i.r.p. limits. The off-axis
angle, (-), is referred to the main lobe axis, in degrees.

For the frequency range 14.00 - 14.50 GHz, based on ITU-R Report 1001:

<TABLE>
<S>     <C>                             <C>
        35 - 25log (-)  dBW/40 kHz      for 2.5 degrees </- (-) </- 48 degrees
        -7              dBW/40 kHz      for 48 degrees  <   (-) </- 180 degrees
</TABLE>

For the frequency range 12.75 - 13.25 GHz based on the ITU Appendix 30B planned
limits (averaged over the necessary bandwidth of 26 MHz:

<TABLE>
<S>     <C>                             <C>
       -25 - 25log (-)  dBW/kHz      for 0.5 degrees </- (-) </- 36.3 degrees
       -64              dBW/kHz      for 36.3        <   (-) </- 180 degrees
</TABLE>

For the frequency range 13.75 - 14.00 GHz, the antenna must fully comply with
the antenna specification (section 2.3).

For the frequency range 17.30 - 18.10 GHz, the input power to the antenna shall
not exceed 30 dBW in a single transponder, and the antenna must conform fully
with the antenna specification (section 2.3).

3.6.  FREQUENCY STABILITY

The RF frequency tolerance of the transmitted carrier shall be equal to or
better than +/- 150 kHz, long and short term stability.

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1 AUGUST 1996                                 CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                       6
<PAGE>   41
4.    AMPLITUDE AND GROUP DELAY DISTORTIONS

4.1.  FM TV TRANSMISSION IN FSS AND BSS BANDS

The earth station IF uplink filter shall be provided in the uplink chain and
shall conform to the amplitude limits shown in Figure 4.1.1.

The group delay produced by transmit earth station IF and RF equipment --
including the up-converter, IF filter, HPA, RF filter combiners, feed and
transmission lines -- shall be equalised to the limits given in Figure 4.1.2.


                                 [FIGURE 239A]
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

              FREQUENCY (MHz)                   AMPLITUDE (dB)
       ----------------------------       ----------------------------
<S>    <C>     <C>     <C>     <C>        <C>     <C>     <C>     <C>
        A       B       C       D          a       b       c       d
       ----    ----    ----    ----       ---     ---     ---     ----
       20.2    25.2    28.9    40.0       0.2     2.2     8.3     25.0
</TABLE>
                Figure 4.1.1 IF UPLINK FILTER AMPLITUDE RESPONSE

                                 [FIGURE 239B]

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

              FREQUENCY (MHz)                   GROUP DELAY (ns)
       ----------------------------       ----------------------------
<S>      <C>        <C>        <C>          <C>        <C>        <C>
         A/3         A          H            f          g          h
        -----       ----      -----         ---        ---        ----
         6.7        20.2       24.6         2.0        3.0        12.0
</TABLE>
                Figure 4.1.2 IF UPLINK FILTER GROUP DELAY RESPONSE


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ASTRA ACCESS AGREEMENT                         SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 AUGUST 1996                                  CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY


                                       7
<PAGE>   42
4.2.  DIGITAL TRANSMISSION IN FSS AND BSS BANDS

For the FSS or BSS transmit channel from upconverter input to antenna output,
the total amplitude and group delay distortions shall not exceed the values
specified in Table 4.2.1.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                      FSS              BSS
                                  ------------     -----------
<S>                               <C>     <C>     <C>     <C>
FREQUENCY (MHZ).................   26      30      33      39
Amplitude variation (dB pp)......  0.5     0.7     0.5     0.7
Group delay variation (nss pp)...  6.0     8.0     6.0     8.0
</TABLE>

      Table 4.2.1 AMPLITUDE AND GROUP DELAY DISTORTIONS

In the case where an RF channel filter network is used, the amplitude and group
dealy masks specified in Figure 4.2.1 and 4.2.2 shall be met from the HPA output
to the antenna output.

                                (FIGUE 240)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
BAND               FREQUENCY (MHz)               AMPLITUDE (dB)
              ------------------------       -----------------------
<S>           <C>        <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>
               A          B         C         a         b         c
              ---        ---       ---       ---       ---       ---
FSS........... 26         30       114       0.25      0.35       35
BSS........... 33         39       123
</TABLE>
               Figure 4.2.1 RF CHANNEL FILTER AMPLITUDE RESPONSE


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ASTRA ACCESS AGREEMENT                         SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 AUGUST 1996                                  CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY


                                       8
<PAGE>   43



                                  [FIGURE 241]


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
     BAND              FREQUENCY (MHz)      GROUP DELAY (ns)
     ----             -----------------    ------------------
                       A             B      a              b
                      ---           ---    ---            ---
     <S>              <C>           <C>    <C>            <C>
     FSS.............  26            30    3.5            5.0
     BSS.............  33            39
</TABLE>
                   Figure 4.2.2. RF CHANNEL GROUP DELAY MASK


4.3  GROUP DELAY EQUALISATION

Equalisation capability shall be provided at the earth station for intrinsic
group delay in the earth station transmit equipment and for group delay in the
satellite transponder.

The maximum range of satellite group delay to be equalised at the earth station
is given below:

- --   Linear      :   +/-1.0 ns/MHz

- --   Parabolic   :   0.5 ns/MHz(2)





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                                       9
<PAGE>   44
5.    BASEBAND PARAMETERS FOR FM TV TRANSMISSION

5.1.  GENERAL

In general the baseband television signal parameters defined shall be designed
in accordance with the relevant definitions and standards for that system and
as authorised by SES.

5.2.  PAL TRANSMISSION STANDARD

5.2.1 VIDEO SIGNAL

The transmitted video signal shall correspond to that of ITU-R Report 624-4 and
Recommendation 472-3, using PAL values with a maximum video signal bandwidth of
5 MHz.

A lowpass filter at the video input to the modulator shall reject any signal
above 6 MHz by at least 40 dB. Up to 5 MHz this filter shall have a group
ripple of less than +/-20 ns.

The following items present information concerning the basic modulation
parameters.

5.2.1.1. FREQUENCY DEVIATION

The utilised peak-to-peak frequency deviation for the video signal shall be 16
MHz/V, assuming the difference between white and black levels to be 0.7 V.

5.2.1.2. ENERGY DISPERSAL

The earth station shall be equipped to add to the TV signal a fixed amplitude
symmetrical triangular waveform, phase locked to the video frame rate, capable
of producing the specified peak-to-peak deviation of the television carrier.
The utilised frequency of that waveform shall be 25 Hz.

- --   In the presence of a modulating signal: 2.0 MHz

- --   In the absence of a modulating signal: 4.0 MHz



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1 AUGUST 1996                                  CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY
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<PAGE>   45
5.2.1.3. PRE-EMPHASIS

The utilised pre-emphasis network shall be that defined in the ITU-R
Recommendation 405-1 (625 lines).

5.2.2.   ON LINE TESTING

In order to enable service performance monitoring while on-line transmission is
present, vertical interval test signals (VITS) shall be inserted on the
transmitted baseband video signal. These signals are based on ITU-R
Recommendation 473-5, as depicted in Figures 5.2.2.1 - 5.2.2.3 and shall utilise
one of the following VITS line modes:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

        Test signal       Line                    Line            Line
        -----------       ----                    ----            ----
        <S>               <C>                     <C>             <C>
        CCIR 17............17                     18               19
        CCIR 18............18        or           19      or       20
        CCIR 330...........330                    331              332
        CCIR 331...........331                    332              333
</TABLE>


In addition line 22 shall always be used as a "quiet" line to allow the
measurement of end-to-end signal/noise ratio or for other purposes specified by
SES.

5.2.3.   AUDIO SIGNALS

5.2.3.1. AUDIO CHANNEL MODES

The TV carrier shall (normally) be supplemented by a number of audio channels.
The following sections describe the various subcarrier configurations that may
be used for the transmission of audio channels for both TV-related and non
TV-related applications.

Only those subcarriers specified in the Customer's Transponder Agreement shall
be utilised and only subcarrier modulation equipment approved by SES shall be
employed.


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1 AUGUST 1996                                CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                       11
<PAGE>   46

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Characteristics measured                                          Waveform used                   Line number
- ------------------------                             ---------------------------------------    ---------------
<S>                                                  <C>                      <C>               <C>
Linear distortions

       Insertion gain............................    B(2)                     Bar                 17 and 330
       Amplitude/frequency response..............    C(2) and C(1)            Multiburst              18
       Line-time waveform distortion.............    B(2)                     Bar                 17 and 330
       Short-time waveform distortion:
       --   step response........................    B(2)                     Bar                 17 and 330
       --   pulse response.......................    B(1)                     2T                  17 and 330

       Chrominance-luminance gain inequality.....    B(2) and G, or G(2)      Bar & Subcarr.    17 and 330, 331
                                                     B(2) and F               Bar & 20T               17

       Chrominance-luminance delay inequality....    F                        20T                     17

Non-linear distortions

       Luminance line-time non-linearity.........    D(1)                     Staircase               17
       Chrominance non-linearity.................    G(2)                     3 Step Subcarr.        331
       Luminance-chrominance intermodulation:
       --   differential gain....................    D(2)                     Modulated              330
       --   differential phase...................    D(2) and E               Staircase            330, 331
       Chrominance-luminance intermodulation.....    B(2) and G(1) or G(2)    Bar & Subcarr.        17,331
</TABLE>

                          Table from CCITT-Rec No. 67
                 Figure 5.2.2.1  VERTICAL INTERVAL TEST SIGNALS


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1 AUGUST 1996                                  CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                       12
<PAGE>   47




                                 [FIGURE 249A]





                                 [FIGURE 245B]





                 Figure 5.2.2.2. VERTICAL INTERVAL TEST SIGNALS

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1 AUGUST 1996                                  CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                       13

<PAGE>   48




                                 [FIGURE 246A]





                                 [FIGURE 246B]





                 Figure 5.2.2.3. VERTICAL INTERVAL TEST SIGNALS

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1 AUGUST 1996                                  CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                       14

<PAGE>   49
5.2.3.2. SUBCARRIER FREQUENCY

The audio subcarriers shall utilise only the frequencies presented in Table
5.2.3.2.1, and shall only be used in the manner indicated in column "Type'',
and in accordance with Section 5.2.3.1.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

TYPE                                                             FREQUENCY (MHZ)

<S>                                                                    <C>
Digital Only.........................................................  6.12@
Digital Only.........................................................  6.30@
Digital Only.........................................................  6.48@
Digital Only.........................................................  6.66@
Digital Only.........................................................  6.84@
TV sound (A:L/M).....................................................  7.02
TV sound (A:R/M).....................................................  7.20
D or A (L/M).........................................................  7.38
D or A (R/M).........................................................  7.56
D or A (L/M).........................................................  7.74
D or A (R/M).........................................................  7.92
Digital Only.........................................................  8.10*
Digital Only.........................................................  8.28*
Digital Only.........................................................  8.46#
Low Speed Data for network control.................................... 8.595#
</TABLE>

                    Table 5.2.3.2.1 SUBCARRIERS FREQUENCIES

A =   analogue companded system with Panda(R)-1 parameters.
D =   digital stereo 192 kbit/s QPSK signal using ISO 11172-3 Layer II
      parameters.
L =   left stereo        R = right stereo       M = mono
* -   Frequency tolerance of +/-0.005 MHz for all subcarriers
@ -   As an option these five subcarriers may be replaced by a single
      non-companded analogue subcarrier at 6.50 MHz used for mono TV sound.
# -   In some applications the use of this subcarrier may be restricted to
      prevent degradation of the picture quality.
(R) - Panda is a registered trademark of WEGENER Communications Inc.

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                                  15
<PAGE>   50
5.2.3.3.  SUBCARRIER BANDWIDTH

A 130 kHz nominal bandwidth shall be utilised for all the analogue companded or
digital audio subcarriers. In the case of the non-companded mono subcarrier, the
nominal bandwidth of the modulated signal shall be 200 kHz.

5.2.3.4.  SUBCARRIER MODULATION INDEX

The modulation index of the subcarrier, BETAsc, is given by the following
expression:

                                 BETAsc = Osc/Fsc

Where Osc is the peak deviation produced by the subcarrier in the TV carrier and
Fsc is the frequency of the subcarrier, both Osc and Fsc being given in MHz.

For the analogue companded subcarriers, a modulation index of 0.15 shall be
utilised. For the digital audio subcarriers, a modulation index of 0.12 shall be
utilised. For the network control subcarrier (8.595 MHz) a modulation index 0.10
shall be utilised. In the case of the non-companded mono subcarrier a modulation
index of 0.26 shall be utilised.

5.2.3.5.  ANALOGUE AUDIO

5.2.3.5.1  ANALOGUE AUDIO DEVIATION

The peak frequency deviation produced by a 9 dBm0 test on the analogue companded
subcarriers shall be +/- 50 kHz. In the case of the non-companded mono
subcarrier, a 9 dBm0 test tone shall produce a peak frequency deviation of
+/- 85 kHz.

5.2.3.5.1  ANALOGUE AUDIO BANDWIDTH

All the analogue audio channels shall provide an audio baseband ranging from
20 Hz to 15 kHz.

5.2.3.5.3. PRE-EMPHASIS
The analogue companded subcarriers shall utilise 75 mu's together
with an adaptive pre-emphasis compatible with the WEGENER Communications
Panda(R)-l system. The pre-emphasis time constant of the non-companded audio
subcarrier shall be 50 mu's.


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<PAGE>   51
5.2.3.6. DIGITAL AUDIO

The digital audio subcarriers shall utilise ISO 11172-3 Layer II coding system
to achieve a CD quality stereo channel and shall conform with the SES document
"ASTRA DIGITAL RADIO (ADR)".

5.2.3.6.1. SAMPLING METHOD

The analogue stereo signal input shall be sampled at a rate of 48 ksamples/s.
Compression based on the ISO 11172-3 Layer II algorithm shall then be performed
to generate a 192 kbit/s digital stereo signal.

5.2.3.6.2 MODULATION METHOD

The digital audio signals shall be modulated using the differential QPSK method,
with a convolutional code of rate 3/4, with constraint length 7. CCITT V.35
scrambling shall be employed. An appropriate filter mask shall be applied in the
modulator to limit the bandwidth to the same value as for an analogue companded
subcarrier.

5.2.3.6.3. AUXILIARY DATA

The format of any auxiliary data in the ISO 11172-3 Layer II data stream shall
be agreed by SES in writing.

5.2.3.7. NETWORK CONTROL CARRIER

The maximum data rate shall be 14.4 kbit/s using asynchronous FSK modulation.
The modulation index shall be 0.10.

5.2.4 TELETEXT

The Teletext signal shall conform to the specifications for Teletext System B as
defined in ITU-R Recommendation 653, for the case of a 625/50 television system.

THE VBI (VERTICAL BLANKING INTERVAL) SHALL NOT BE USED FOR TRANSMISSION OF ANY
OTHER TYPE OF INFORMATION OR SIGNAL WITHOUT PREVIOUS AUTHORISATION IN WRITING
FROM SES.

Teletext signals shall only be inserted between lines 7 and 21 inclusive (and
the corresponding lines in the second field) other than on those lines used for
VITS test signals as specified in paragraph 5.2.2 unless specifically approved
in writing by SES.

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                                       17
<PAGE>   52
6.    CHANNEL CODING, MODULATION, MULTIPLEXING AND SOURCE CODING FOR DIGITAL
      SERVICES

6.1.  GENERAL

Channel coding and modulation equipment shall conform to the following
specifications:

     ETS 300 421

     Digital broadcasting systems for television, sound and data services;
     Framing structure, channel coding and modulation for 11/12 GHz satellite
     services.

     ETR 154

     Digital broadcasting systems for television; Implementation guidelines for
     the use of MPEG-2 systems; Video and audio in satellite and cable
     broadcasting applications.

The transmitted RF carrier spectrum shall not be inverted with respect to the
modulator output spectrum. The phase accuracy at the modulator output shall be
+/- 2 degrees. The amplitude accuracy at the modulator output shall be +/- 0.2
dB.

6.2.   MODULATION

6.2.1. BBS BANDS

The modulation shall be QPSK at a transmission bit rate of 55.0 Mbit/s, in order
to operate with a single carrier at a fixed symbol rate of 27.5 Msym/s.

6.2.2. FSS BANDS

The modulation shall be QPSK at a transmission bit rate of 44.0 Mbit/s, in order
to operate with a single carrier at a fixed symbol rate of 22.0 Msym/s.

6.2.3. EARTH STATION DEGRADATION

The Eb/No degradation (for the case of FEC 3/4 and BER = 10(7)) caused by the
earth station equipment shall be less than 0.5 dB. This value shall be verified
in a station loop including baseband, IF and RF equipment of the uplink and
downlink chain.

6.3.   CHANNEL CODING

Forward Error Correction (FEC) shall conform to the specifications given in
section 6.1 and shall permit the use of one or more of the following FEC ratios;
1/2, 2/3, 3/4 or (in the case of FSS 26 MHz bandwidth) 5/6.


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<PAGE>   53
6.4   POWER SPECTRUM DENSITY MASK

6.4.1 BSS BANDS

To avoid adjacent channel interference, the RF spectrum at the output of the
power amplifier of the earth station shall not exceed the tolerance mask shown
in Fig. 6.4.1. It may be necessary to operate the power amplifier in back-off
mode in order to achieve this specification.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Frequency Offset (+/-)     Amplitude
        (MHz)                (dB)
- ----------------------     ---------              [FIGURE 251A]
<S>                        <C>
       0 - 19.50               0.0
   19.50 - 29.25             -25.0
       >/- 40.00             -40.0      FIGURE 6.4.1 BSS POWER SPECTRUM MASK
</TABLE>

6.4.2 FSS BANDS

To avoid adjacent channel interference, the RF spectrum at the output of the
power amplifier of the earth station shall not exceed the tolerance mask shown
in Fig. 6.4.2. It may be necessary to operate the power amplifier in back-off
mode in order to achieve this specification.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Frequency Offset (+/-)     Amplitude
        (MHz)                (dB)
- ----------------------     ---------              [FIGURE 251B]
<S>                        <C>
       0 - 14.75               0.0
   14.75 - 22.50             -25.0
       >/- 30.00             -40.0      FIGURE 6.4.2 FSS POWER SPECTRUM MASK
</TABLE>

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                                       19

<PAGE>   54
6.5.   MULTIPLEXING

6.5.1. GENERAL

Multiplexing of video, audio, and data signals shall conform to the following
specifications:

     ISO/IEC 13818-1

     Generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio (Part 1: Systems).

     ETR 154

     Digital broadcasting systems for television; Implementation guidelines for
     the use of MPEG-2 systems; Video and audio in satellite and cable
     broadcasting applications.

6.5.2. TRANSPORT STREAM

The Transport Stream (excluding error correcting code overhead) shall operate at
one of the following bit rates, dependent on the FEC to be used:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                Transport Stream bit rate
                FEC ratio               (Mbit/s)
                ---------       -------------------------
                                    BSS            FSS
                                   -----          -----
                <S>                 <C>            <C>
                1/2............    25.34          20.27
                2/3............    33.79          27.03
                3/4............    38.01          30.41
                5/6............    n.a.           33.79
</TABLE>

6.5.3. SERVICE INFORMATION

Service Information shall conform to the following specifications:

     ETS 300 468

     Digital broadcasting systems for television, sound and data services;
     Specification for Service Information (SI) in Digital Video Broadcasting
     (DVB) systems.

     ETR 211

     Digital broadcasting systems for television; Implementation guidelines for
     the use of MPEG-2 systems; Guidelines on implementation and usage of
     service information.

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<PAGE>   55
It is further required to receive the original ASTRA NETWORK INFORMATION TABLE
(NIT) uplinked from Betzdorf and to re-transmit this table in intervals of at
least 10 seconds on each locally uplinked ASTRA transponder.

The last version of the original NIT should be kept in memory. This ensures an
uninterrupted availability of the NIT in case the original NIT cannot be
received.

By means of the local service Information editing station, the transponder
specific parts of the NIT can be modified/updated at any time.

A MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT) has been defined to provide a mechanism for
conveying diagnostic information about the consistency of all multiplexes to the
central Network Operations Centre at Betzdorf.

The local uplinks should generate such MDT in the case a service failure occurs
for longer than 10 seconds, i.e. if a service component (video, audio, subtitle
or accompanied data) or a Service Information component (NIT, SDT, EIT or TDT)
is missing.

This involves that the local encoders signal corresponding failure information
to the local multiplex controller that shall generate the MDT. After the failure
has been eliminated, the local uplink stops transmitting the MDT.

Details on the Multiplex Diagnostic Table concept can be found in Annex 1.

In addition it is recommended that a transmitted SERVICE DESCRIPTION TABLE (SDT)
includes the service information about all services on the respective
transponder on which it is transmitted, and that an EVENT INFORMATION TABLE
(EIT) includes the event information about all present and following events for
all services on the respective transponder.

6.6.  SOURCE CODING

Source coding of video and audio signals shall conform to the following
specifications:

     ISO/IEC 13818-2/-3

     Generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio (Part 2: Video and
     Part 3: Audio).

     ETR 154

     Digital broadcasting systems for television; Implementation guidelines for
     the use of MPEG-2 systems; Video and audio in satellite and cable
     broadcasting applications.

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<PAGE>   56
7.    ASTRA SATELLITE INFORMATION

7.1.  ASTRA 1 SERIES

Presently, there are six ASTRA satellites (ASTRA 1A to 1F) at the orbital
position of 19.2 degrees East. In the middle of 1997, ASTRA 1G will be added to
fill the available frequency spectrum at 19.2 degrees East. ASTRA 1G is SES'
seventh satellite to be co-positioned at 19.2 degrees East. Adding 16
transponders, the spacecraft will increase the digital transmission capacity on
that position to 120 transponders.

The eight satellite at the 19.2 degrees East orbital position, ASTRA 1H will be
launched to provide backup capability for the other satellites at that position.

7.1.1. ASTRA 1 TRANSPONDER FREQUENCY PLAN

Figures 7.1.a. to 7.1.g. present the ASTRA 1 satellite system frequency plans.
All transponders are linearly polarised, utilising the polarisation scheme
presented in Table 7.1. The two polarisations are orthogonal to each other and
the horizontal polarisation has a counter-clockwise rotation of 7.5 degrees
relative to the orbit plane, as viewed from the satellite.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                TRANSPONDER             UPLINK                  DOWNLINK
                -----------             ------                  --------
<S>             <C>                     <C>                     <C>
                Odd.................... Vertical                Horizontal
                Even................... Horizontal              Vertical
</TABLE>

              Table 7.1 - ASTRA 1 TRANSPONDER POLARISATION SCHEME


All the ASTRA 1 satellites provide four different downlink coverage modes, as
detailed in Tables 7.1.a. to 7.1.b. These four modes provide different
coverage, concentrating more downlink power in different regions of Europe.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>


    SATELLITE      ASTRA 1A       ASTRA 1B        ASTRA 1C        ASTRA 1D
    ---------      --------       --------        --------        --------
      MODE                           TRANSPONDER
    --------       -------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C>           <C>            <C>             <C>             <C>
    Horizontal 1  1,5,9,13       17,21,25,29     33,37,41,45     49,53,57,61
    Horizontal 2  3,7,11,15      19,23,27,31     35,39,43,47,63  51,55,59,63
    Vertical 1    4,8,12,16      20,24,28,32     36,40,44,48,64  52,56,60,64
    Vertical 2    2,6,10,14      18,22,26,30     34,38,42,46     50,54,58,62

</TABLE>
                     TABLE 7.1.A. - ASTRA 1A TO 1D DOWNLINK


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<PAGE>   57
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

SATELLITE              ASTRA 1E              ASTRA 1F                    ASTRA 1G

  MODE                                      TRANSPONDER

<S>                <C>                   <C>                         <C>
Horizontal + ..... 65, 69, 73, 77, 81    85, 89, 93, 97, 101         105, 109, 113, 117
Horizontal - ..... 67, 71, 75, 79        83, 87, 91, 95, 99, 103     107, 111, 115, 119
Vertical - ....... 68, 72, 76, 80        84, 88, 92, 96, 100, 104    108, 112, 116, 120
Vertical + ....... 66, 70, 74, 78, 82    86, 90, 94, 98, 102         106, 110, 114, 118

                                  Table 7.1.b. ASTRA 1E to 1G DOWNLINK


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</TABLE>
                                       23


<PAGE>   58










                                  [FIGURE 256]









                       Figure 7.1 a  A-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN










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<PAGE>   59










                                  [FIGURE 257]









                       Figure 7.1 b  B-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN










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<PAGE>   60










                                  [FIGURE 258]









                       Figure 7.1 c  C-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN










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<PAGE>   61










                                  [FIGURE 259]









                       Figure 7.1 d  D-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN










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<PAGE>   62



                                  [FIGURE 260]


                       Figure 7.1 e  E-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN


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<PAGE>   63



                                  [FIGURE 261]



                       Figure 7.1 f  F-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN


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<PAGE>   64



                                  [FIGURE 262]


                       Figure 7.1 g  G-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN


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7.2.  ASTRA 2 SERIES

As of autumn 1997, a second orbital position at 28.2 degrees East will be
activated with the deployment of ASTRA 2A. A second satellite, ASTRA 2B, will be
co-located at 28.2 degrees East in late 1998.

ASTRA 2A will have 28 active Ku-band transponders (32 for the first five years)
operating in the Broadcast Satellite Services frequency band (11.70 - 12.50
GHz), powered by 100 Watt travelling-wave tube amplifiers.

ASTRA 2B will provide up to 28 highpower Ku-band transponders (30 for the first
five years) with an output of 108 Watt each. All transponders can operate over
Europe and a steerable antenna offers the capability for up to 16 transponders
in the 12.50 - 12.75 GHz frequency range to be activated within any area of the
earth visible from 28.2 degrees East.

Co-located at 28.2 degrees East, the two spacecraft will provide SES with a
total of 56 transponders in the frequency range 11.70 - 12.75 GHz for digital
broadcasts at the second ASTRA orbital position.


7.2.  ASTRA 2 TRANSPONDER FREQUENCY PLAN

Figures 7.2.a. and 7.2.b. present the ASTRA 2 satellite frequency plans. All
transponders are linearly polarised, utilising the polarisation scheme
presented in Table 7.2. The two polarisations are orthogonal to each other and
the horizontal polarisation has a counter-clockwise rotation of 7.5 degrees
relative to the orbit plane, as viewed from the satellite.

<TABLE>
        <S>                     <C>                     <C>
        Transponder             Uplink                  Downlink
        Odd...................  Vertical                Horizontal
        Even..................  Horizontal              Vertical
</TABLE>
        Table 7.2. - ASTRA 2 TRANSPONDER POLARISATION SCHEME

All the ASTRA 2 satellites provide different downlink coverage modes, as
detailed in Table 7.2.a. These four modes provide different coverage,
concentrating more downlink power in different regions of Europe.




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<PAGE>   66



<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
SATELLITE                               ASTRA 2A                         ASTRA 2B
- ---------                    ------------------------------      -----------------------------
                                                       TRANSPONDER
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Pol.               Beam         E-Band           F-Band         F-Band           G-Band
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                  <C>                         <C>             <C>            <C>
Horizontal ........  South    1, 5, 9, 13, 17     21, 25         29, 33, 37     41, 45, 49, 53

Horizontal ........  North    3, 7, 11, 15        19, 23, 27     31. 35. 39     43, 47, 51, 55

Vertical ..........  South    2, 6, 10, 14, 18    22, 26,        30, 34, 38     42, 46, 50, 64

Vertical ..........  North    4, 8, 12, 16        20, 24, 28     32, 36, 40     44, 48, 52, 56
</TABLE>


                          Table 7.2.a. -- ASTRA 2A AND 2B DOWNLINK


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<PAGE>   67



                                  [FIGURE 265]


                       Figure 7.2 a ASTRA 2A FREQUENCY PLAN


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<PAGE>   68



                                  [FIGURE 266]


                       Figure 7.2 b ASTRA 2B Frequency Plan


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8.    ORBITAL POSITION/STATION KEEPING

The nominal orbital position of the ASTRA 1 satellites is 19.2 degrees East. The
orbital position of the ASTRA 2 satellites is 28.2 degrees East.

Under normal operating conditions SES will maintain the ASTRA satellites within
the following station-keeping box:

                +/- 0.10 degrees North/South
                +/- 0.10 degrees East/West


9.    BEACON INFORMATION

The following table shows the beacon frequencies (MHz) for the different
spacecraft:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

                                Vertical                Horizontal
                                --------                ----------
        <S>                     <C>                     <C>
        ASTRA 1A..............  11203.0                 11446.5
        ASTRA 1B............... 11453.5                 11696.5
        ASTRA 1C............... 11451.0                 11448.5
        ASTRA 1D............... 11454.0                 11447.5
        ASTRA 1E............... 11202.0                 10948.5
        ASTRA 1F............... 11201.0                 10946.5
        ASTRA 1G............... 11701.0                 11699.0
        ASTRA 1H............... 11707.0                 11693.5
        ASTRA 2A............... 11706.0                 11694.5
        ASTRA 2B............... 11708.0
                                11710.0
</TABLE>

                       Table 9.1 BEACON FREQUENCIES (MHz)

At least one beacon will always be operational per spacecraft.

The beacon frequency stability is 1 ppm per day. Under normal operating
conditions the minimum beacon e.i.r.p. on any spacecraft shall be 16 dBW. For
the design of suitable tracking antenna systems, the following information
regarding the appropriate ASTRA ranging and telemetry characteristics shall be
used as a baseline.


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9.1  ASTRA 1A AND ASTRA 1B BEACON DETAILS

The following characteristics apply to both ASTRA 1A and ASTRA 1B.

PCM Telemetry    : Phase modulation of beacon carrier by PCM (Biphase L)
                   telemetry to a peak deviation of 1.0+/-0.1 radians. Data
                   rate is 1 kbit/s.

Analog Telemetry : Phase modulation of beacon carrier by frequency modulated
                   14.5 kHz subcarrier to a peak deviation of 1.0+/-0.1
                   radians.

Ranging          : Phase modulation of beacon carrier by ranging signals at
                   19 kHz or 27.777 kHz to a peak deviation of 1.0+/-0.1
                   radians.

Ranging + PCM
Telemetry        : Phase modulation of beacon carrier by composite ranging
                   signals at 19 kHz or 27.777 kHz together with PCM telemetry
                   data signal to a peak deviation of 1.0+0.1 radians. In
                   absence of ranging signals, the deviation of PCM data alone
                   is 0.5+/-0.05 radians.

There are four ranging tones. The first three ranging tones at 35.43 Hz,
283.45 Hz and 3968.25 Hz serially frequency modulate the 19 kHz subcarrier.
The fourth ranging tone is at 27.777 kHz.

9.2.  ASTRA 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G, 1H AND 2A BEACON DETAILS

The following characteristics apply to the beacons on ASTRA 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F,
1G, 1H and 2A.

During PCM-mode, the beacon is phase modulated (PM) by a telemetry subcarrier
with a subcarrier frequency of 32 kHz and a modulation index of 1.25+/-0.15
radians. The subcarrier is biphase modulated by telemetry data.

During ranging mode, the 32 kHz subcarrier is switched off and the beacon is
phase modulated by sequences of 4 ranging tones with a modulation index of
1.00+/-0.15 radians.

9.4.  ASTRA 2B BEACON DETAILS

The following characteristics apply to the beacons on ASTRA 2B.

During PCM mode, the beacon is phase modulated (PM) by a telemetry
subcarrier with a subcarrier frequency of 32 kHz and a peak modulation index of
1.5 radians. The subcarrier is coherent PSK modulated by telemetry data.


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<PAGE>   71
During ranging mode, the 32 kHz subcarrier is switched off and the
beacon is phase modulated by a ranging tone, which itself is modulated by
an ambiguity resolution code. The peak modulation index during ranging is
0.7 radians.

During simultaneous PCM and ranging on the TM downlink signal, the
PCM-modulated 32 kHz subcarrier and ranging tone are combined into one
baseband signal, which modulates the main carrier with max. effective
modulation indices of 1.4 radians for the PCM-signal and 0.4 radians for the
ranging tone.





















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<PAGE>   72
ANNEX 1

                       SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
                              TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT

                        MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT)

1    INTRODUCTION

In a digital broadcast environment with a multitude of services there is a need
for highly automated means to monitor and subsequently to provide information
(e.g. failure messages) about the availability of services as well as of
service components such as video, audio and subtitling and of Service
information tables.

In order to support the detection of service failures, to provide information
for remedial measures and to efficiently log such events, a transport
mechanism, the Multiplex Diagnostic Table (MDT) has been defined. This system
will serve for conveying diagnostic information about the consistency of all
DVB/MPEG-2 multiplexes on ASTRA to the central Digital Network Operations
Centre (DINO) of Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES).


2    FUNCTIONALITY

MDTs can be generated at any point in the transmission chain to signal missing
streams (e.g. video, audio, subtitle or accompanied data) or Service
Information components (e.g. NIT, SDT, EIT or TDT) within a multiplex. As the
underlying concept of the MDT system is to detect and signal failures at the
point where they are generated, the system supervisor of the DVB/MPEG-2
encoding, multiplexing and modulation equipment should monitor the correct
functioning of all equipment modules and should generate an MDT in the case a
service failure occurs for longer than 10 seconds.

MDTs shall then be periodically transmitted every 10 seconds until the failure
is fixed. In addition to faulty equipment modules also missing input streams
can be identified by subsequent modules in the transmission chain which then
generate corresponding MDTs.

This principle will be applied e.g. by the special monitor IRDs of the DINO
which can not only receive and extract incoming MDTs from the multiplexes but
also can generate MDTs in the case e.g. Service Information components are
missing. All MDTs are being fed via the ASTRA Service Information Update System
(ASIUS) into the Service Availability System (SAS) of the Digital Network
Operations Centre. Upon reception of an MDT an alert is initiated by the DINO
computer system which then enables the operator to act appropriately based on
detailed transponder specific diagnostic information provided together with the
alert message.


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3     SYNTAX OF THE MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT)

The syntax of the MDT is conforming to the one defined in the standard ISO/IEC
13818-1 for the definition of private sections.

As defined in that standard, private data may be sent in transport stream
packets with PID not listed in the Program Map Table sections.

Therefore, Multiplex Diagnostic Tables shall be carried on PID 0x1FFD using the
normal payload unit start indicator/pointer field mechanism described in the
standard ISO/IEC 13818-1. This PID shall not be used for any other purpose on
the ASTRA Satellite Network. A MDT must be inserted in maximum one Transport
Stream Packet resulting in a maximum table size of 184 bytes.

     multiplex diagnostic section()[
     table id                                            8 uimsbf
     section syntax indicator                            1 bslbf
     SES reserved                                        1 bslbf
     ISO reserved                                        2 bslbf
     section length                                     12 uimsbf
     transport stream id                                16 uimsbf
     original network id                                16 uimsbf
     MDT version number                                  4 uimsbf
     Fault source                                       12 uimsbf
     Fault type                                         16 uimsbf
     for (1=0;i<N;i++)[
             Fault major                                16 uimsbf
             Fault minor                                16 uimsbf
     ]

Table id = 0xB0

Section syntax indicator = 0

SES reserved = 1

Section length: This is a 12 bit field, the first two bits of which shall be
"00". It specifies the number of bytes of the section, starting immediately
following the section length field. The section length shall not exceed 181
bytes so that the entire section has a maximum length of 184 bytes.


Transport stream id: This is a 16 bit field which serves as a label to identify
the transport stream where the error or warning has occurred.


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<PAGE>   74
ORIGINAL NETWORK ID: This 16 bit field gives the label identifying the
network id of the originating delivery system of the transport stream where the
error or warning has occured.

MDT VERSION NUMBER: This 4 bit field identifies the version number of the MDT
structure. Currently, the MDT version number shall be set to "0".

FAULT SOURCE: This is a code that, together with the transport stream id and
the original network id, identifies the origin of the failure. Fault source
values can be defined by the operator of the transport stream within the ranges
defined in Table 1.

FAULT TYPE: This 16 bit field identifies the basic type of errors or warnings.
Only values described in Table 2 are defined. In every MDT section only one
Fault type shall be listed resulting in only one basic type of error or warning
per MDT.

FAULT MAJOR: This 16 bit field provides more detailed information about the
errors or warnings as defined by the Fault type. Depending on the value of the
Fault type, the Fault major has different meanings. Currently, only the values
given in Table 4 and 5 are defined. If for a Fault type no Fault major code is
defined, the loop within the MDT shall be empty. If for a Fault type several
Fault major codes are defined the loop may contain more than one of these
codes. In case of missing components of a service (Fault type = 0x0100) the
Fault major code is equal to the service id of this service.

FAULT MINOR: This field provides additional information about the error or
warning as described by the combination of Fault type and Fault major. If no
Fault minor code is defined for a Fault major code, the Fault minor field shall
be present and all bits shall be set to "1". For the time being Fault minor is
only defined for Fault type = 0x0100 (Component of service missing) as
described in Table 3. In that case the service id of the service comprising the
missing component is defined in the Fault major field and the missing component
is defined in the Fault minor field.

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<PAGE>   75

TABLE 1; FAULT SCORE
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
- --------------------------------------------------------------
     Fault score range                    Description
- ---------------------------       ----------------------------

<S>                               <C>
          0x0000                          Undefined
    0x0001,...,0x0064               SI-editing & controller
    0x0065,...,0x01F4                    Audio encoder
    0x01F5,...,0x0226                    Video encoder
    0x0227,...,0x03B6                    Data inserter
    0x03B7,...,0x03E8                      CA system
    0x03E9,...,0x041A                      Multiplexer
    0x041B,...,0x044C                     Re-Multiplier
    0x044D,...,0x047E                       Modulator
    0x047F,...,0x060E                        Decoder
    0x060F,...,0x0640                   Network termination
    0x0641,...,0x0A00                     ASTRA reserved
    0x0A01,...,0x0FFF                      User defined


</TABLE>


TABLE 2: FAULT TYPE
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
- --------------------------------------------------------------
        Fault type                       Description
- ---------------------------       ----------------------------
<S>                               <C>
          0x0000                           Undefined
          0x0001                          NIT missing
          0x0002                          SDT missing
          0x0004                          EIT missing
          0x0008                          TDT missing
          0x0009                          PAT missing
          0x000A                          CAT missing
          0x0100                  Component of service missing
 Other fault type <= 0x0800              ASTRA reserved
     Fault type > 0x0800                  User defined


</TABLE>


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Table 3: Fault minor codes for Fault type value = 0x0100 (COMPONENT MISSING)
(Fault major specifies the service id of the service missing components.)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
              Fault minor
        if Fault type = 0x0100                     DESCRIPTION
        ----------------------          ------------------------------------
<S>             <C>                     <C>
                0x0001                  Video component missing
                0x0002                  Audio component missing
                0x0004                  EBU Teletext subtitles missing
                0x0008                  Associated EBU Teletext missing
                0x0010                  Data component missing
                0x0020                  DVB subtitling missing
                0x0040                  PMT missing
             Other values               ASTRA reserved
</TABLE>


Table 4: (Fault major codes for Fault type value = 0x0002 (SDT MISSING)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
               Fault minor
   if Fault type = 0x0002 (SDT MISSING)             DESCRIPTION
   ------------------------------------    --------------------------------
<S>             <C>                             <C>

                0x0001                           DVB-SI SDT missing
             Other values                          ASTRA reserved
</TABLE>


Table 5: Fault major codes for Fault type value = 0x0004 (EIT MISSING)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
               Fault minor
   if Faulttype = 0x0004 (EIT missing)              DESCRIPTION
   ------------------------------------    --------------------------------
<S>             <C>                             <C>

                0x0001                           DVB-SI EIT missing
             Other values                          ASTRA reserved
</TABLE>


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<PAGE>   77
                                  (ASTRA LOGO)





                           ASTRA SERVICE INFORMATION
                                 UPDATE SYSTEM
                                    (ASIUS)





                             TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION





SES - ASIUS                                                        CONFIDENTIAL
SYE - 045/12-96

06 December 1996

                                                                              0
<PAGE>   78
                               TABLE OF CONTENTS


1    INTRODUCTION ......................................................   2

2    CONCEPT OF THE ASTRA SERVICE INFORMATION UPDATE SYSTEM ............   2

3    FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OF ASUIS ......................................   5

     3.1  SI Data Structures considered by ASIUS........................   5

          3.1.1  Network Information Table (NIT)........................   5

          3.1.2  Service Description Table (SDT)........................   5

          3.1.3  Multiplex Diagnostic Table (MDT).......................   9

     3.2  SI Data Acquisition...........................................   9

     3.3  SI Data Processing............................................  10

     3.4  SI Data Distribution..........................................  10

4    GLOSSARY.................................... ......................  12

5    REFERENCES.........................................................  13

     ANNEX 1............................................................  14


SES - ASIUS                                                        CONFIDENTIAL
SYE - 045/12-96

06 December 1996

                                                                              1
<PAGE>   79
1    INTRODUCTION

     Service Information (SI) systems for Digital Video Broadcast are considered
     by broadcasters and also by network operators as one of the crucial
     elements in digital transmission of video, audio and data signals. With the
     plethora of services being available in the digital age, an effective means
     of guiding consumers around the various services on offer is an essential
     pre-requisite of any consumer oriented digital transmission and reception
     system. Beyond informing about the available services, there is also a need
     to allow for the quick acquisition of any service that can be received.

     Based on the DVB SI specification Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES)
     has developed the ASTRA Service Information Update System (ASIUS) for
     providing tuning information and also for informing the digital IRDs about
     all services on the ASTRA network. In addition ASIUS monitors the Service
     Information on all transponders, checks the presence and the correctness of
     this data and provides also diagnostics information on the consistency of
     the multiplexes.

2    CONCEPT OF THE ASTRA SERVICE INFORMATION UPDATE SYSTEM

     The ASTRA Service Information Update System (ASIUS) is an application of
     the DVB Service Information specification as standardised in ETS 300468/1/
     and may serve the Digital Satellite IRD to quickly tune to the receivable
     services on ASTRA. It also enables the presentation of services and
     broadcasters in a convenient way to the consumer.

     This is achieved by compiling and transmitting an ASTRA Network
     Information Table (ASTRA NIT) providing tuning information as well as an
     ASTRA Service Description Table (ASTRA SDT) containing information about
     all services on all transponders on the ASTRA network. Thus the IRD is
     enabled to present the names of all services on ASTRA, the names of all
     corresponding broadcasters (service providers) and the service types such
     as TV, Radio, Teletext or data services, without having to tune to each
     transponder.

     The concept for the ASIUS involves the transmission of the ASTRA NIT on
     each transponder. This NIT conveys information about the physical
     parameters of all multiplexes on ASTRA (frequency, symbol rate, etc.) as
     well as the information about the network itself (ID, name, satellite
     position).

     Furthermore, the concept involves the transmission of the ASTRA SDT on two
     ASTRA Service Information channels (Barker Channels), one with horizontal
     and one with vertical polarization.


SES - ASIUS                                                        CONFIDENTIAL
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                                                                              2
<PAGE>   80
As it is the objective to provide up-to-date network information and service
description data about all transponders on ASTRA, a concept for an automatic
updating of the ASTRA NIT/SDT has been developed, considering all updates from
the Betzdorf earth station as well as the remote uplinks.

The ASTRA NIT is mainly under the administration of SES (network operator)
except for parts as e.g. the Forward Error Correction (FEC) scheme which may be
adjusted by the remote uplink operators.

The multiplex specific SDTs are under the administration of the broadcasters.
ASIUS receives the SDTs transmitted on all transponders, extracts those parts
directly related to each respective transponder and compiles an ASTRA SDT with
service description information (e.g. service names, service providers,
service types) about all services on ASTRA.



                                  [FIGURE 278]



Figure 1:  Transmission and updating of ASTRA NIT and SDT tables

SES - ASIUS                                                        CONFIDENTIAL
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                                                                              3
<PAGE>   81
3     FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OF ASIUS

3.1   SI DATA STRUCTURES CONSIDERED BY ASIUS

Regarding the various tables defined by MPEG-2 and by the DVB project, there are
only a few relevant for the ASIUS. These are the Network Information Table, the
Service Description Table, the Event Information Table (EIT), and the Time and
Date Table (TDT).

3.1.1 NETWORK INFORMATION TABLE (NIT)

The structure of the Network Information Table is presented in Figure 3. The
ASTRA NIT is divided in sections according to the MPEG-2 syntax. Each section
includes a loop over network related descriptors which is used for conveying the
network name descriptor and the linkage descriptors to the ASTRA Service
Information channel.

For each transport stream the NIT contains a loop over transport stream related
descriptors including the satellite delivery system descriptor with information
such as frequency, polarisation, symbol rate and FEC scheme. Conveying an
optional service list descriptor in that loop of the NIT is not considered by
ASIUS.

3.1.2 ASTRA SERVICE DESCRIPTION TABLE (SDT)

The structure of the Service Description Table is illustrated in Figure 4. The
ASTRA SDT is also divided into sections according to the MPEG-2 syntax. For each
Transport Stream at least one section with service description data is
transmitted. All SDT sections include a loop over all services on the
corresponding Transport Stream. For each service a loop of descriptors including
service descriptor and country availability descriptor is conveyed. NVOD
reference descriptor and time shifted service descriptor are also considered by
ASIUS. In order to identify the actual Transport Stream on which Service
Information is received and thus to identify the relevant SI parts that have
been updated at a remote uplink, the corresponding transports stream id can be
found in each header of a service description section for the actual Transport
Stream /1/.


SES - ASIUS                                                        CONFIDENTIAL
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                                                                              5
<PAGE>   82



                                  [FIGURE 280]



Figure 2:  Interconnection between ASIUS and the Digital NOC

SES - ASIUS                                                        CONFIDENTIAL
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                                                                              6
<PAGE>   83
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                        NETWORK INFORMATION TABLE (NIT)

                ACTUAL NETWORK                          OTHER NETWORK
                --------------                          -------------

        SECTION 1                  SECTION 2  SECTION 3
        ---------                  ---------  ---------
<S>     <C>                        <C>        <C>

        network id
      section number

FOR 1 = O ... N NETWORK DESCRIPTORS
   network name descriptor
     linkage descriptor

FOR 1 = O ... N TRANSPORT STREAMS
    transport stream id
    original network id

    FOR 1 = O ... N TRANSPORT
    DESCRIPTORS

        delivery system descriptor

</TABLE>

Figure 3: Structure of the Network Information Table


SES-ASIUS                                                           CONFIDENTIAL
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                                                                               7
<PAGE>   84
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                        SERVICE DESCRIPTION TABLE (SDT)


                                                        OTHER
                                                      TRANSPORT
             ACTUAL TRANSPORT STREAM                    STREAM
- ------------------------------------------------      ---------
      TRANSPORT STREAM 1               TRANSPORT  ...
                                       STREAM 2
- -------------------------------------  ---------  ----
 SECTION 1                  SECTION 2  SECTION 3
 ---------                  ---------  ---------

<S>                        <C>         <C>       <C>  <C>

   transport stream id
     section number
   original network id

FOR 1 = O ... N SERVICES

        service id
     scrambling yes/no

  FOR 1 = O ... N DESCRIPTORS

       service descriptor
 country availability descriptor
   NVOD reference descriptor
 time shifted service descriptor

</TABLE>

Figure 4: Structure of the Service Description Table


SES-ASIUS                                                           CONFIDENTIAL
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                                                                               8
<PAGE>   85
3.1.3.  MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT)

In a digital broadcast environment with a multitude of services there is a need
for highly automated means to monitor and subsequently to provide information
(e.g. failure messages) about the availability of services as well as of service
components such as video, audio and subtitling and of Service Information
tables.

In order to support the detection of service failures, to provide information
for remedial measures and to efficiently log such events, a transport mechanism,
the Multiplex Diagnostic Table (MDT) has been defined by SES. This system is
serving for conveying diagnostic information about the consistency of all
DVB/MPEG-2 multiplexes on ASTRA to the central DINO in Betzdorf.

MDTs can be generated at any point in the transmission chain to signal missing
streams (e.g. video, audio, subtitle or accompanied data) or Service
Information components (e.g. NIT, SDT, EIT or TDT) within a multiplex. As the
underlying concept of the MDT system is to detect and signal failures at the
point where they are generated, the system supervisor of the DVB/MPEG-2
encoding, multiplexing and modulation equipment should monitor the correct
functioning of all equipment modules and should generate an MDT in the case a
service failure occurs for longer than 10 seconds.

MDTs shall then be periodically transmitted every 10 seconds until the failure
is fixed. In addition to faulty equipment modules also missing input streams
can be identified by subsequent modules in the transmission chain which then
generate corresponding MDTs.

This principle is applied e.g. by the special monitor IRDs of the DINO which
can not only receive an extract incoming MDTs from the multiplexes but also can
generate MDTs in the case e.g. Service Information components are missing. All
MDTs are being fed via the ASIUS into the Service Availability System (SAS) of
the Digital Network Operations Centre. Upon reception of an MDT an alert is
initiated by the DINO computer system which then enables the operator to act
appropriately based on detailed transponder specific diagnostic information
provided together with the alert message.

Details about the MDT concept can be found in Annex 1.

3.2.  SI Data Acquisition

The ASTRA Service Information Update System in Betzdorf includes the reception
of all Transport Streams of the ASTRA Satellite System. From these Transport
Streams the relevant SI is extracted and passed over the ASIUS processing
station. This includes the NIT for the actual network (ASTRA) and the SDT for
the actual Transport Stream. If a MDT has been received (which occurs only in
case of a failure), it will also be transferred.


SES-ASIUS                                                          CONFIDENTIAL
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                                                                              9
<PAGE>   86
to ASIUS.

The following processing steps have been implemented in ASIUS for the SI data
acquisition:

1.   Reception of the DVB/MPEG-2 Transport Streams from all ASTRA transponders.

2.   Extraction of all transponders SI data (NIT, MDT, SDT, EIT, TDT). By
     means of the version number mechanism provided in each section syntax,
     the IRD considers only the updated parts of this data.

3.   Transmission of all the updates from the IRDs to ASIUS. The IRDs
     furthermore monitor the availability of the NIT, SDT, EIT and TDT
     (Time and Date Table) in each Transport Stream and shall generate a
     Multiplex Diagnostic Table and transmit it to the ASIUS processor, if a
     failure is detected.

3.3  SI DATA PROCESSING AND MONITORING

After having received an update the ASIUS compiles a new version of the
ASTRA NIT and ASTRA SDT. Since the system has immediate access to all
SI data on the ASTRA network it monitors the presence, correctness, and also
the consistency of the SI data. In case of an erroneous situation an alarm is
triggered and the operators in the DINO are informed.

3.4  SI DATA DISTRIBUTION

After the compilation of the received SI data by the ASIUS processor, the
updated ASTRA NIT is transmitted on all transponder uplinked from Betzdorf.
The ASTRA SDT is inserted into the two transponders which contain the ASTRA
Service Information channel. In addition a linkage descriptor is inserted in
the ASTRA NIT, which is available on all transponders. This descriptor points
to transport stream ids and service ids of the ASTRA Service Information
channels.

If the consumer wants to have access to the ASTRAL SDT the IRD will read the
linkage descriptor and tune to one of the corresponding transponders. After
the reading of the ASTRA SDT all services available on the ASTRA Satellite
System could be displayed. It is however assumed that certain filter
mechanisms would be applied to the data before displaying the information in a
consumer friendly way. More details on the functionality of the ASTRA Service
Information channel are described SES' "Technical Recommendations for Digital
IRDs"/2/. A flow chart of the access functionality for the ASTRA SDT is
depicted in Figure 5.



SES-ASIUS
SYE-045/12-96                                                     CONFIDENTIAL

06 December 1996                                                            10



<PAGE>   87










                                  [FIGURE 285]





















        Figure 5: Example of the access functionality for the ASTRA SDT

SES-ASIUS                                                          CONFIDENTIAL
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                                                                             11


<PAGE>   88
4    GLOSSARY

ASIUS    ASTRA Service Information Update System

DNO      Digital Network Operation Centre

DVB      Digital Video Broadcasting

DTH      Direct-to-Home satellite transmission

FEC      Forward Error Correction

IRD      Integrated Receiver Decoder

MDT      Multiplex Diagnostic Table

NIT      Network Information Table

NOC      Network Operation Centre

NVOD     Near-Video-On-Demand

SDT      Service Description Table

SES      Societe Europeenne des Satellites

SI       Service Information

SMATV    Satellite Master Antenna Television


SES-ASIUS                                                          CONFIDENTIAL
SYE-045/12-96

06 December 1996
                                                                             12
<PAGE>   89
5    REFERENCES

/1/  ETS 300 468 "Digital broadcasting systems for television, sound and data
     services; specification for Service Information (SI) in Digital Video
     Broadcasting (DVB) Systems"

/2/  "Technical Recommendations for Digital Integrated Receiver Decoders", SES















SES-ASIUS                                                          CONFIDENTIAL
SYE-045/12-96

06 December 1996
                                                                             13
<PAGE>   90
ANNEX 1

                       SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
                              TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT


                        MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT)


1    INTRODUCTION

In a digital broadcast environment with a multitude of services there is a need
for highly automated means to monitor and subsequently to provide information
(e.g. failure messages) about the availability of services as well as of service
components such as video, audio and subtitling and of Service Information
tables.

In order to support the detection of service failures, to provide information
for remedial measures and to efficiently log such events, a transport mechanism,
the Multiplex Diagnostic Table (MDT) has been defined. This system is serving
for conveying diagnostic information about the consistency of all DVB/MPEG-2
multiplexes on ASTRA to the central Digital Network Operations Centre (DINO) of
Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES).

2    FUNCTIONALITY

MDTs can be generated at any point in the transmission chain to signal missing
streams (e.g. video, audio, subtitle or accompanied data) or Service Information
components (e.g. NIT, SDT, EIT or TDT) within a multiplex. As the underlying
concept of the MDT system is to detect and signal failures at the point where
they are generated, the system supervisor of the DVB/MPEG-2 encoding,
multiplexing and modulation equipment should monitor the correct functioning of
all equipment and should generate an MDT in the case a service failure occurs
for longer than 10 seconds.

MDTs shall then be periodically transmitted every 10 seconds until the failure
is fixed. In addition to faulty equipment modules also missing input streams
can be identified by subsequent modules in the transmission chain which then
generate corresponding MDTs.

This principle is applied e.g. by the special monitor IRDs of the DINO which can
not only receive and extract incoming MDTs from the multiplexes but also can
generate MDTs in the case e.g. Service Information components are missing. All
MDTs are being fed via the ASTRA Service Information Update System (ASIUS) into
the Service Availability System (SAS) of the Digital Network Operations Centre.
Upon reception of an MDT an alert is initiated by the DINO computer system which
then enables the operator to act

SES-ASIUS                                                          CONFIDENTIAL
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15 December 1996
                                                                             14
<PAGE>   91
appropriately based on detailed transponder specific diagnostic information
provided together with the alert message.

3   SYNTAX OF THE MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT)

The syntax of the MDT is conforming to the one defined in the standard ISO/IEC
13818-1 for the definition of private sections.

As defined in that standard, private data may be sent in Transport Stream
packets with PID not listed in the Program Map Table sections.

Therefore, Multiplex Diagnostic Tables shall be carried on PID 0x1FFD using the
normal payload unit start indicator/pointer field mechanism described in the
standard ISO/IEC 13818-1. This PID shall not be used for any other purpose on
the ASTRA Satellite Network. A MDT must be inserted in maximum one Transport
Stream Packet resulting in a maximum table size of 184 bytes.

multiplex diagnostic section[
   table id...............................   8 uimsbf
   section syntax indicator...............   1 bslbf
   SES reserved...........................   1 bslbf
   ISO reserved...........................   2 bslbf
   section length.........................  12 uimsbf
   transport stream id....................  16 uimsbf
   original network id....................  16 uimsbf
   MDT version number.....................   4 uimsbf
   Fault source...........................  12 uimsbf
   Fault type.............................  16 uimsbf
   for (l=0;i<N;i++)[
      Fault major.........................  16 uimsbf
      Fault minor.........................  16 uimsbf

]

TABLE ID = 0XB0

SECTION SYNTAX INDICATOR = 0

SES RESERVED = 1

SECTION LENGTH: this is a 12 bit field, the first two bits of which shall be
"00". it specifies the number of bytes of the section, starting immediately
following the section length field. the section length shall not exceed 181
bytes so that the entire section has a maximum length of 184 bytes.


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                                                                              15
<PAGE>   92
TRANSPORT STREAM ID: This is a 16 bit field which serves as a label to identify
the Transport Stream where the error or warning has occurred.

ORIGINAL NETWORK ID: This 16 bit field gives the label identifying the
networkid of the originating delivery system of the Transport Stream where the
error or warning has occurred.

MDT VERSION NUMBER: This 4 bit field identifies the version number of the MDT
structure. Currently, the MDT version number shall be set to "0".

FAULT SOURCE: This is a code that, together with transport stream id and the
original network id, identifies the origin of the failure. Fault source values
can be defined by the operator of the Transport Stream within the ranges
defined in Table 1.

FAMILY TYPE: This 16 bit field identifies the basic type of errors or warnings.
Only values described in Table 2 are defined. In every MDT section only one
Fault type shall be listed resulting in only one basic type of error or warning
per MDT.

FAULT MAJOR: This 16 bit field provides more detailed information about the
errors or warnings as defined by the Fault type. Depending on the value of the
Fault type, the Fault major has different meanings. Currently, only the values
given in Table 4 and 5 are defined. If for a Fault type no Fault major code is
defined, the loop within the MDT shall be empty. If for a Fault type several
Fault major codes are defined the loop may contain more than one of these
codes. In case of missing components of a service (Fault type = 0x0100) the
Fault major code is equal the service id of this service.

FAULT MINOR: This field provides additional information about the error or
warning as described by the combination of Fault type and Fault major. If no
Fault minor code is defined for a Fault major code, the Fault minor field shall
be present and all bits shall be set to "1". For the time being Fault minor is
only defined for Fault type = 0x0100 (Component of service missing) as
described in Table 3. In that case the service id of the service comprising
the missing component is defined in the Fault major field and the missing
component is defined in the Fault minor field.


SES-ASIUS                                                          CONFIDENTIAL
SYS-240/12-95

15 DECEMBER 1995
                                                                             16
<PAGE>   93
TABLE 1: FAULT SOURCE


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

       Fault source range                Description
- -------------------------------  ----------------------------
<S>                             <C>
            0x0000                       Undefined
       0x0001,...,0x0064           SI-editing & controlled
       0x0065,...,0x01F4               Audio encoder
       0x01F5,...,0x0226               Video encoder
       0x0227,...,0x03B6               Data inserter
       0x03B7,...,0x03E8                 CA system
       0x03E9,...,0x041A                Multiplexer
       0x041B,...,0x044C               Re-multiplexer
       0x044D,...,0x047E                 Modulator
       0x047F,...,0x060E                  Decoder
       0x060F,...,0x0640            Network termination
       0x0641,...,0x0A00              ASTRA reserved
       0x0A01,...,0x0FFF               User defined

</TABLE>


SES-ASIUS                                                           CONFIDENTIAL
SYS-240/12-95

15 DECEMBER 1995

                                                                              17
<PAGE>   94
TABLE 2: FAULT TYPE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

          Fault type                   Description
- -----------------------------   ---------------------------
<S>                             <C>
           0x0000                        Undefined
           0x0001                       NIT missing
           0x0002                       SDT missing
           0x0004                       EIT missing
           0x0008                       TDT missing
           0x0009                       PAT missing
           0x000A                       CAT missing
           0x0010               Component of service missing
 Other fault type <= 0x0800            ASTRA reserved
    Fault type > 0x0800                 User defined

</TABLE>

Table 3: Fault minor codes for Fault type value = 0x0100 (COMPONENT MISSING)
(Fault major specifies the service id of the service with missing components)


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

         Fault minor                     Description
   if Fault type = 0x0100
- -----------------------------   ------------------------------
<S>                             <C>
           0x0001                  Video component missing
           0x0002                  Audio component missing
           0x0004               EBU Teletext subtitles missing
           0x0008              Associated EBU Teletext missing
           0x0010                  Data component missing
           0x0020                  DVB subtitling missing
           0x0040                       PMT missing
       Other values                   ASTRA reserved

</TABLE>


SES-ASIUS                                                           CONFIDENTIAL
SYS-240/12-95

15 DECEMBER 1995

                                                                              18
<PAGE>   95
TABLE 4: FAULT MAJOR CODES FOR FAULT TYPE VALUE = 0x0002 (SDT MISSING)


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

            Fault major
if Fault type = 0x0002 (SDT missing)                 Description
- ------------------------------------           ------------------------
<S>                                            <C>
              0x0001                             DVB-SI SDT missing
           Other values                            ASTRA reserved

</TABLE>


TABLE 5: FAULT MAJOR CODES FOR FAULT TYPE VALUE = 0x0004 (EIT MISSING)


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

         Fault major
if Fault type = 0x0004 (EIT missing)                 Description
- ------------------------------------           ------------------------
<S>                                            <C>
              0x0001                             DVB-SI EIT missing
           Other values                            ASTRA reserved

</TABLE>

The information and data contained herein are subject to change.


                     Societe Europeenne des Satellites S.A.
                     L-6815 Chateau de Betzdorf, Luxembourg
                Tel.: (352) 71 07 25-1, Fax: (352) 71 07 25-548


SES-ASIUS                                                           CONFIDENTIAL
SYS-240/12-95

15 DECEMBER 1995

                                                                              19

<PAGE>   1
                                                                  Exhibit 10.21


                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


                                   ---------
                                   AGREEMENT
                                   ---------

                  for digital transmission on the ASTRA system

                                    between

                     SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES S.A.

                                      and

                              PCI PROGRAMMING INC.



<PAGE>   2
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL

1.      Interpretation...............................................    4

2.      Agreement....................................................    6

3.      Term.........................................................    6

4.      Charges......................................................    6

5.      Spare TWTA...................................................    7

6.      Unavailability...............................................    7

7.      Excluding Circumstances......................................    8

8.      Interruption, Testing and Monitoring..........................    8

9.      Pre-emption..................................................    9

10.     Use of Transponder and Encryption............................    9

11.     Service Information..........................................   10

12.     Compliance with Law..........................................   10

13.     SES' Authority...............................................   10

14.     Assignment...................................................   10

15.     Termination..................................................   11

16.     Effect of Termination........................................   12

17.     Force Majeure................................................   12

18.     Limitation of Liability - Exclusivity of Remedies............   12

19.     Indemnities..................................................   12

20.     Confidentiality..............................................   13

21.     Trademark - Logo and Press Releases..........................   13

22.     Notices......................................................   13

23.     Severability.................................................   14

24.     Waiver.......................................................   14

25.     Entire Agreement.............................................   14

26.     Amendment....................................................   14




                                       2
<PAGE>   3
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL

27.     Proper Law and Jurisdiction..................................   14

28.     Legal Opinion................................................   14

29.     Condition Precedent..........................................   15

30.     Marketing Cooperation........................................   15

SCHEDULE I:     Satellite and Transponder Description and
                Performance Specifications...........................   16

SCHEDULE II:    Customer Signals, Customer Uplink Signals and
                Uplink Facilities....................................   18

SCHEDULE III:   Service(s)...........................................   20

SCHEDULE IV:    Monitoring...........................................   21

SCHEDULE V:     Conditional Access system............................   23

SCHEDULE VI:    Charges..............................................   24

SCHEDULE VII:   Priority and Pre-emption.............................   26

SCHEDULE VIII:  ASTRA Access Agreement...............................   29

SCHEDULE IX:    ASIUS................................................   30

                                       3


<PAGE>   4
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL

                                   AGREEMENT

                              DATED 27 MARCH 1997

BETWEEN:

(1)  SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES S.A.
     L-6815 Chateau de Betzdorf, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg ("SES"); and

(2)  PCI Programming Inc.
     c/o Poland Communications Inc.
     1 Commercial Plaza
     Hartford, CT 06033, USA (the "Customer")

PREAMBLE:

(A)  SES is the operator of the ASTRA satellite system which comprises several
     satellites co-located at 19.2 degrees East for the retransmission of
     television and radio services;

(B)  The satellite, described in SCHEDULE I-A hereto, is part of this satellite
     system;

(C)  The Customer wishes to use transponder capacity on a transponder of said
     satellite to transmit the digital services described herein on the terms
     and conditions set out below;

IT IS HEREBY AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

1.   INTERPRETATION

     1.1    In this Agreement, the following words and expressions shall have
            the meanings ascribed to them below;

            "CAHIER DES CHARGES" : the ministerial enactment (arrete
            ministeriel) of the Luxembourg government setting out the duties to
            be observed by SES in performance of the Concession;

            "CONCESSION" : the concession contract ("Contrat de Concession")
            entered into by the government of Luxembourg and SES to enable SES
            to operate the Satellite System and any amendment thereof;

            "CUSTOMER DOWNLINK SIGNALS" : downlink RF(1)-QPSK(2) modulated time
            division

- --------------------------
     (1)    Radio frequency

     (2)    Quadrature please shift keying


                                       4





<PAGE>   5
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

            multiplexed carrier carrying the Service(s) from the Customer's
            Transponder;

            "CUSTOMER SIGNALS": the bit stream, carrying the Service(s),
            produced by the Customer and transmitted to the Uplink Facilities
            for onward transmission via the Customer's Transponder and
            conforming to SCHEDULE II;

            "CUSTOMER START DATE" OR "CSD": the date on which the Customer
            has agreed to commence the transmission of the Service(s) on the
            Customer's Transponder, being the date upon which the Board of SES
            and the Government of Luxembourg have given their approval and
            operational service date of ASTRA 1G has occurred;

            "CUSTOMER UPLINK SIGNALS": the RF-QPSK modulated time division
            multiplexed carrier, carrying the Service(s), transmitted from the
            Uplink Facilities to the Customer's Transponder and conforming to
            SCHEDULE II;

            "CUSTOMER'S TRANSPONDER": the transponder capacity on the
            Satellite as described in SCHEDULE I-B, or any alternative
            transponder capacity subsequently allocated to the Customer pursuant
            hereto, and via which the Customer transmits the Service(s);

            "EXPIRY DATE": the last day of the Term;

            "LIBOR": the one month London inter bank offered rate, applying to
            the currency of this Agreement, as quoted by Banque et Caisse
            d'Epargne de l'Etat in Luxembourg on the due date for payment;

            "MINIMUM TRANSPONDER PERFORMANCE": as defined in Schedule I-D;

            "OPERATIONAL SERVICE DATES" OR "OSD": the date on which SES
            declared the Satellite operational, being 1 January 1996;

            "PAYMENT PERIOD": a period of the Term in respect of which
            payments are payable or have been paid pursuant to SCHEDULE VI;

            "PRE-EMPTION": the deliberate interruption and/or cessation of the
            availability of a transponder by SES in accordance with the rules
            set out in SCHEDULE VII and "PRE-EMPT" shall be construed
            accordingly;

            "RECEIVED SIGNAL POWER": as defined in SCHEDULE I-D;

            "SATELLITE": the ASTRA 1E satellite as described in SCHEDULE I-A;

            "SERVICE(S)": the Customer's services described in SCHEDULE III;

            "SES' ASSOCIATES": SES' officers, employees, consultants, agents,
            contractors or subcontractors however it is understood that CLT/DTS
            performing the play-out for the Customer, are not considered as SES
            Associate;

            "SPARE TWTA": a spare travelling wave tube amplifier which can be
            switched to recover traffic on the Satellite;

            "TARGET MARKET": as defined in SCHEDULE III;

                                       5
<PAGE>   6
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL


            "TERM": the duration of this Agreement as specified in CLAUSE 3;

            "TRANSPONDER": a part of the Satellite which receives, amplifies and
            frequency-translates the uplink signals and retransmits them as
            downlink signals;

            "UNAVAILABLE", "UNAVAILABILITY": as defined in CLAUSE 6;

            "UPLINK FACILITIES": all equipment and ancillary facilities used to
            transmit the Customer Uplink Signals to the Satellite conforming to
            SCHEDULE II;

            "VAT": Value added tax or any similar tax or charge.

     1.2    In case of conflict between this Agreement and the Schedules hereto,
            this Agreement shall prevail.

2.   AGREEMENT

     With effect from CSD SES will perform the transmission of the Customer
     Uplink Signals carrying the Service(s) by exclusively providing the
     Customer's Transponder for the purpose and monitor the digital transmission
     of the Customer Uplink Signals on the terms set out herein. This Agreement
     does not include multiplexing and uplinking.

3.   TERM

     3.1    This Agreement shall begin on the date hereof and expire on the
            tenth (10th) anniversary of CSD.

     3.2    Either party may terminate this Agreement upon 6 months written
            notice if the Customer does not target the Polish DTH market prior
            to 1 January 1999. "Target the Polish DTH market" means that (i) the
            Customer shall have a licence or permit (if necessary) for its
            activity and (ii) actively markets and promotes DTH reception by
            ensuring availability in the market of decoder boxes (integrated
            receiver devices ("IRD's").


4.   CHARGES

     4.1    The Customer shall pay the charges set out in SCHEDULE VI as and on
            the dates set out therein.

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                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


     4.2    Sums overdue shall be subject to a late payment interest charge at
            2% over LIBOR from the due date. The interest shall accrue on a
            daily basis.

     4.3    All sums payable by the Customer under SCHEDULE VI are quoted
            exclusive of any VAT or other tax or duties. The Customer undertakes
            to pay any applicable VAT, other tax or duties upon receipt of an
            appropriate invoice from SES.

     4.4    All sums due under this Agreement shall be paid in full without
            set-off, counterclaim or other deduction.

     4.5    Any sums owed by SES to the Customer for Unavailability pursuant to
            CLAUSE 6 shall be calculated by SES within 15 days from the date on
            which such an event occurred and shall be paid to the Customer
            within thirty (30) days thereafter. If the Customer disagree with
            the amount so calculated and notified by SES, the Customer shall so
            notify SES in writing and the parties shall seek in good faith to
            resolve the disagreement. Payments for Unavailability after the due
            date for payment determined hereunder shall accrue interest at the
            rate set out in CLAUSE 4.2, unless such payments are in dispute.

     4.6    In the circumstance set out in CLAUSE 7.2, the Customer shall not be
            relieved of its obligation to pay the charges payable hereunder.

5.   SPARE TWTA

     If the Customer's Transponder becomes Unavailable and if a Spare TWTA is
     available, then, subject to the priority rules set out in SCHEDULE VII,
     SES shall provide its use to the Customer as soon as reasonably possible.

6.   UNAVAILABILITY

     6.1    The Customer's Transponder shall be regarded as Unavailable if:

            6.1.1    the Received Signal Power falls below the Minimum
                     Transponder Performance by more than 1 dB;

            6.1.2    the interruption of the Service(s) pursuant to CLAUSE 8.1
                     exceeds thirty (30) minutes in any calendar quarter;

            6.1.3    any failure of the Satellite or any part thereof causes an
                     interruption of transmissions of the Service(s); or

            6.1.4    the 27.5 MS/s QPSK digital carrier at the centre frequency
                     of the Customer's Transponder, complying fully with
                     SCHEDULE II, which saturates the Customer's Transponder as
                     indicated by the satellite DLA input power telemetry as
                     specified by SES and has a 3/4 rate FEC, exhibits a Bit
                     Error Rate worse than 10(9) when received on a typical
                     60 cm antenna with no pointing error, with a G/T of no
                     worse than 13.5 dB/K located in Betzdorf, Luxembourg,
                     under clear sky conditions. It is understood that
                     SES shall have no obligation to monitor the bit error rate.


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     6.2    During any period of Unavailability the Customer may obtain (at its
            cost) temporary bridging services from an alternative service
            provider. The Customer's payment obligations hereunder shall be
            suspended from the start of the period of Unavailability to the end
            of such period or, if later, the date the Customer's arrangements
            for bridging services in respect of such period of Unavailability
            come to an end, however such date shall not be later than 30 days
            after the end of any period of Unavailability. In this regard, SES
            shall refund to the Customer the pro rata temporis portion of the
            charges paid by the Customer for the period of Unavailability and/or
            the Customer shall not be liable to pay SES the pro rata temporis
            portion of the charges payable (but not yet paid) in respect of such
            period of Unavailability (as applicable).

     6.3    If the Customer's Transponder becomes Unavailable for a period of
            thirty (30) or more consecutive days, then the Customer may
            terminate the Agreement by written notice to SES (provided that such
            notice is sent while the Customer's Transponder is Unavailable) and
            CLAUSE 16.1 shall apply.

     6.4    CLAUSES 5, 6.2 and 5.3 shall be the Customer's sole remedies in the
            event of an Unavailability and SES shall have no other obligation.


7.   EXCLUDING CIRCUMSTANCES

     Clauses 6.2 and 6.3 shall not apply:

     7.1    to an Unavailability caused by an act or omission of the Customer or
            of the Customer's Associates;

     7.2    where the Customer Signals, the Customer Uplink Signals or the
            Uplink Facilities do not comply with Schedule II or where the
            Customer Signals are not received by the Uplink Facilities or the
            Customer Uplink Signals are not received by the Customer's
            Transponder dues to no fault of SES or any SES Associate.

8.   INTERRUPTION, TESTING AND MONITORING

     8.1    SES shall be entitled to interrupt the Service(s) and to require
            the Customer to cease transmission of the Customer Uplink Signals
            where necessary (i) to provide the use of a Spare TWTA, and (ii) for
            operational testing, maintenance, monitoring, preventive or curative
            repair or adjustment to be carried out either with respect to the
            Satellite as a whole or part thereof, or one or more of its
            transponders where necessary, in SES' reasonable opinion, to
            preserve the integrity of the Satellite or the overall quality of
            the satellite transmissions in the short, medium or long term. SES
            shall give the Customer as much notice thereof as is practicable in
            the circumstances and shall agree with the Customer upon the date
            and time of interruption wherever possible.

     8.2    SES shall also be entitled to interrupt the Service(s) or to require
            the Customer to cease transmission of the Customer Uplink Signals if
            the Customer is in breach of its obligations hereunder ALWAYS
            PROVIDED THAT if such breach is due to a technical issue, SES shall
            not interrupt the Service(s) without allowing the Customer
            reasonable period of time to correct it, unless the technical issue
            either (i) is interfering with another customer of SES, (ii) could
            cause potentially damage or

                                       8
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            degradation to the Satellite or to its proper functioning or (iii)
            could affect the quality of the transmissions provided by the
            Satellite. Nothing in this CLAUSE 8.2 shall permit SES to interrupt
            the Services in circumstances where there is a bona fide dispute
            between the parties as to any fees due to be paid under this
            Agreement. Any such dispute, if not resolved by negotiation, shall
            be dealt with as provided for in CLAUSE 27.

     8.3    SES shall monitor the Customer Uplink Signals and the performance of
            the Customer's Transponder in accordance with the provisions of
            SCHEDULE IV and supply an analysis of the results when so requested
            by the Customer. Such data shall be limited to information which SES
            can reasonably be expected to obtain and which it can reveal without
            liability or breach of any duty to any third party. Such information
            shall be kept confidential.

     8.4    The Customer shall procure that the operator of the Uplink
            Facilities shall assist SES in making any tests to ensure it at
            such Facilities and the Customer Uplink Signals comply with
            CLAUSE 10.3.

     8.5    All Service(s) using the Customer's Transponder shall be uplinked
            from the same uplink antenna.

9.   PRE-EMPTION

     -- INTENTIONALLY DELETED --

10.  USE OF TRANSPONDER AND ENGRYPTION

     10.1   The frequencies for the Customer Uplink Signals and the Customer
            Downlink Signals initially allocated by SES shall be those stated in
            SCHEDULE I-B or notified to the Customer before CSD.

     10.2   The Customer shall, on CSD, commence transmitting the Service(s) and
            thereafter maintain full transmission of the majority of the
            Service(s) as described in SCHEDULE III. For the avoidance of doubt
            this CLAUSE 10.2 is not designed to interfere with the Customer's
            plans for the roll out of the Service(s) and SES accepts that such
            plans do not envisage the transmission of a full complement of
            Service(s) for the first year of this Agreement and may also mean
            that the Customer does not have any Service(s) ready to commence
            transmission on CSD.

     10.3   The Customer shall procure that the Customer Signals and Customer
            Uplink Signals and Uplink Facilities comply with Schedule II and do
            not interfere with or damage the Satellite or any of its
            transponders.

     10.4   The Customer may, if so provided in SCHEDULE V, encrypt the Customer
            Signals provided that the Customer, at its costs, provides SES with
            ten operational decoders authorised for reception and any other
            equipment needed to receive the Customer Downlink Signals.

     10.5   SES shall have the right, at any time, to replace the transponder
            carrying the Service(s) on the Satellite by another transponder on
            any other ASTRA satellite at the same orbital position provided that
            the replacement transponder has the same

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                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL

            polarization, bandwidth and the same uplink and downlink signal
            frequency as the transponder used by the Customer prior to such
            replacement and provides Minimum Transponder Performance. Unless SES
            uplinks the Service(s), SES will endeavour to provide to the
            Customer advance notice of 24 hours to perform the necessary
            operations to uplink the Service(s) to the other ASTRA satellite. To
            avoid a Service interruption, the Customer shall take all necessary
            arrangements with the operator of the Uplink Facilities to
            accommodate such a transponder replacement and SES will either (i)
            move the Customer's Transponder in tandem with any other customer's
            transponder on the Satellite or (ii) relax the technical
            requirements of the Access Agreement to require only two (2) uplinks
            for the three (3) allocated customer's transponders with frequencies
            in the E and F bands.


     10.6   The Customer shall not use the Customer's Transponder in any way not
            specified in this Agreement.

11.  SERVICE INFORMATION

     The Customer shall provide to SES the Service(s) information in compliance
     with Schedule III.

12.  COMPLIANCE WITH LAW

     12.1   The Customer shall comply to all material extant with all laws,
            regulations or provisions relevant for the performance of this
            Agreement, shall, where necessary, at all times have and comply with
            a broadcasting license or authorization for the Service(s) and shall
            promptly inform SES of any material change thereof. If the
            Service(s) is not subject to the laws of a member of the European
            Union it shall, nevertheless, comply with the provisions of the
            "Television Without Frontiers" directive of 3 October 1989, as may
            be amended, as transposed into the laws of Luxembourg being
            currently Article 6 and Chapter IV of the Luxembourg Electronic
            Media Law of 27 July 1991.

     12.2   SES shall not exercise its right to terminate this Agreement under
            CLAUSE 15.1 by reason of non-compliance by the Customer pursuant to
            CLAUSE 12.1 except where such non-compliance has been determined by
            a court or other authority with competent jurisdiction or where
            otherwise requested by the Government of the Grand Duchy of
            Luxembourg. Moreover if compliance with CLAUSE 12.1 would result in
            the contravention of any future law or regulation in the Target
            Market, its non-compliance with CLAUSE 12.1 shall constitute an
            event of force majeure.

13.  SES' AUTHORITY

     This Agreement is subject to the continuing right of SES to provide the
     Customer's Transponder pursuant to the Concession and the Cahier des
     Charges. If this right is withdrawn, then this Agreement shall terminate
     automatically unless the Government of Luxembourg wishes to undertake SES'
     rights and obligations hereunder. In either case, SES shall be discharged
     of all liability and obligation to the Customer subject to CLAUSE 16.

14.  ASSIGNMENT

     14.1   Subject to the remainder of this CLAUSE 14 the Customer shall not
            assign, transfer, sub-let, or otherwise allow any third party to
            directly or indirectly exercise its rights, in whole or in part,
            under this Agreement. For the purpose hereof, an assignment

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                                                                CONFIDENTIAL

            shall also include a change in the control of the Customer or of a
            substantial part of its assets or business.

     14.2   SES hereby authorises the Customer at any time to assign its rights
            under this Agreement to (a) any affiliate or (b) Procable Sp Z O. O.
            ("Procable") provided that the Customer retains not less than a 33%
            shareholding in Procable, and in any such event on condition that
            the Customer agrees to continue to be bound by all its obligations
            and liabilities hereunder and to hold SES harmless from any breach
            of this Agreement by its Assignee. For the purposes of this CLAUSE
            14.2, a company will be regarded as an affiliate of the Customer if
            the Customer holds not less than a 50% interest in the shares or
            equivalent of that company or if the company holds at least 50%
            interest in the Customer or a company being under common control
            with the Customer.

     14.3   Upon SES' and the Luxembourg Government prior written consent, which
            shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed, the Customer may
            sub-contract the benefit of this Agreement to any third party
            provided that (i) no such sub-contract shall relieve the Customer of
            its obligations and liabilities under this Agreement and the
            Customer shall be responsible for the acts, default and omissions of
            the sub-contractor, its employees and agents as fully as if they
            were acts, default, omissions of the Customer itself and (ii) the
            Customer will share revenues exceeding the charge payable in the
            relevant year with SES on a 50/50 basis.

15.  TERMINATION

     In addition to the termination rights provided herein including without
     limitation the Customer's right to terminate as specified in CLAUSE 6.3, a
     party may terminate this Agreement forthwith by written notice if the other
     party;

     15.1   commits a material breach of its obligations hereunder and fails to
            remedy such breach (if capable of remedy) within thirty (30) days of
            written notice from the party requiring such breach to be remedied
            (for the avoidance of doubt, circumstances giving rise to the right
            to terminate under CLAUSE 3.2 or CLAUSE 6.3 do not constitute a
            material breach);

     15.2   is unable to pay its debts as they mature; becomes insolvent; is
            subject to bankruptcy, reorganisation, moratorium, insolvency or
            similar proceedings for the relief of financially distressed
            debtors; is subject to winding up, dissolution or liquidation
            (judicial or non-judicial) proceedings; voluntarily or involuntarily
            suspends or discontinues its business; liquidates or sells a
            substantial part of its assets; makes an assignment for the benefit
            of its creditors; or is subject to the appointment of a receiver,
            liquidator or other third party over its assets or business; or

     15.3   has been prevented by an event of force majeure from materially
            performing its obligations hereunder for sixty (60) days or more.
            SES will waive its right to terminate the Agreement if and for such
            period of time the Customer continues to pay the charge hereunder.


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16.  EFFECT OF TERMINATION

     16.1   Where the Agreement is terminated (i) by the Customer, pursuant to
            CLAUSES 6.3, 15.1 or 15.2, (ii) by either party, pursuant to CLAUSE
            15.3, or (iii) automatically pursuant to CLAUSE 13, then SES shall
            refund to the Customer the pro rata temporis portion of the advance
            payments made by the Customer pursuant to SCHEDULE VI relating to
            the unexpired portion of the Payment Period in progress on the date
            of termination. SES may deduct from such amount all payments, taxes
            and duties payable to governments or other entities for which the
            Customer is liable hereunder and all sums owed to SES at that time.

     16.2   Where SES terminates this Agreement pursuant to CLAUSES 15.1 or
            15.2, the Customer shall forthwith pay to SES any sum owed by the
            Customer to SES at that time and shall continue to be liable for and
            to pay the charge provided in SCHEDULE VI (as if the Agreement had
            not been terminated) until such time as SES allocates the Customer's
            Transponder to another customer. SES shall have no obligation to
            market the Customer's Transponder in priority to unused transponder
            capacity on SES' satellites and for a price inferior to that
            payable by the Customer to SES (unless the Customer makes up for the
            difference); however, SES shall use its reasonable efforts to
            mitigate its losses. If the Customer's Transponder is allocated to
            another customer, SES shall refund to the Customer the pro rata
            temporis portion of the advance payments made by the Customer
            pursuant to SCHEDULE VI relating to the unexpired portion of the
            Payment Period in progress on the date at which the other customer
            starts transmitting.

17.  FORCE MAJEURE

     Neither party shall be considered to be in breach or be liable for any
     damage suffered by the other party or its Associates, by reason of any
     failure to perform any obligation hereunder if and for so long as such
     failure is the result of an event of force majeure. Subject to CLAUSE 15.3,
     the respective obligations of both parties shall be suspended for such time
     as such an event prevents either party from performing its obligations.

18.  LIMITATION OF LIABILITY - EXCLUSIVITY OF REMEDIES

     18.1   Without prejudice to CLAUSES 5, 6 AND 16, SES shall not be liable
            to the Customer or to the Customer's Associates in any way
            whatsoever, except for its gross negligence ("faute lourde") or
            wilful misconduct ("dol").

     18.2   The remedies expressly provided in this Agreement are the sole
            remedies available to the parties and the parties waive any other
            rights that they may have.

19.  INDEMNITIES

     19.1   The Customer shall totally indemnify SES and SES' Associates and
            customers against all claims, losses, damages, expenses arising
            from:

            19.1.1 damages caused to third parties as a result of a breach by
                   the Customer of this Agreement or a civil duty;

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            19.1.2 infringement of copyright, defamation, libel or invasion of
                   privacy (or any allegation thereof) arising in the course of
                   the use of the Customer's Transponder;

            19.1.3 claims in any way connected with the quality or contents of
                   any programme or display transmitted as part of the
                   Service(s), or with any failure, however caused, to perform
                   an obligation owed to any person to transmit any such
                   programme or display;

            19.1.4 infringement by the Customer by virtue of exercising its
                   rights under this Agreement of any other third party right;

            19.1.5 damage caused to the Satellite by the Customer or the
                   operator of the Uplink Facilities save where SES is said
                   operator.


     19.2   A party (the "First Party") shall indemnify the other party against
            all claims, losses, damages or expenses arising from an infringement
            of patent caused by the use of any apparatus or system provided by
            the First Party to the other.

     19.3   Neither party shall admit any liability or make any concession in
            respect of any claim brought against it for which it may seek an
            indemnity under this CLAUSE 19 without the prior written consent of
            the indemnifying party and the indemnifying party shall have the
            right to control any such proceedings at its own costs and expenses.

20.  CONFIDENTIALITY

     Each party shall, and shall procure that its Associates shall, both
     throughout the Term and thereafter, keep confidential the provisions of
     this Agreement together with all other information disclosed on a
     confidential basis by the other party hereunder and shall not disclose the
     game to any person except when acting under a court order. Unless otherwise
     specified in writing, all information regarding the performance of the
     Satellite or the Customer's Transponder or the business affairs of the
     parties shall be regarded as confidential. Where necessary to secure its
     financing or otherwise in the legitimate course of its business, each party
     shall have the right to disclose this Agreement to its professional
     advisors, financial institutions and stock exchanges authorities.

21.  TRADEMARK - LOGO AND PRESS RELEASES

     21.1   Each party agrees to allow the other to use its trademark and logo,
            free of charge, throughout the Term, solely for the purpose of
            indicating in any document, advertising or communication made or
            commissioned by such party that the Service(s) is transmitted via
            the ASTRA satellite system.

     21.2   The parties shall agree on a press release to announce this
            Agreement.

22.  NOTICES

     Any notice shall be in writing and shall be sent to the address of the
     party to be served as above written or to such other address previously
     notified to the other party. All notices

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                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

     shall be delivered by hand, registered, or certified post or facsimile.
     Notices shall be deemed to have been received: (i) if delivered by hand,
     upon such delivery, (ii) if sent by post, (seventy-two) 72 hours after
     the envelope containing such notice was posted, or (iii) if sent by
     facsimile, when the transmission of the facsimile is complete. Notices sent
     by facsimile shall be confirmed by letter. The initial facsimile number of
     the parties are: (i) SES: (352) 710 725 291, (ii) the Customer: (48)
     22 43 56 31 or (48) 22 43 65 31.

23.  SEVERABILITY

     In the event that a provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid,
     inapplicable or unenforceable such provision shall be replaced by one which
     comes closest to the intention of the parties and the remaining provisions
     of this Agreement shall be unimpaired.

24.  WAIVER

     No relaxation, delay or indulgence by either party in enforcing any right
     under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof.

25.  ENTIRE AGREEMENT

     This Agreement, with the Schedules, is the entire agreement between the
     parties in connection with the subject matter hereof and there are no other
     agreements, written or oral. This Agreement supersedes all prior
     understandings, representations or communications between the parties and
     each party declares that it has not relied on any representation except as
     expressly set out herein.

26.  AMENDMENT

     No provision of this Agreement may be amended, waived or terminated, nor
     may any breach thereof be waived otherwise than (in each case) by the
     express written agreement of the parties hereto. The Agreement will, where
     necessary, be amended to reflect the reasonable changes made by the
     Luxembourg Government to the Concession or the Cahier des Charges or the
     Luxembourg Laws.

27.  PROPER LAW AND JURISDICTION

     This Agreement shall be governed by the construed in accordance with the
     laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the parties hereby submit to the
     exclusive jurisdiction of the Luxembourg courts.

28.  LEGAL OPINION

     The customer shall, at SES' request and cost, procure a legal opinion
     issued by the Customer's external counsel in favour of SES' leading
     institutions, in a form reasonably satisfactory to SES and its lending
     institutions.

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29.  CONDITION PRECEDENT

     This Agreement is subject to (i) operational service date of ASTRA IG,
     (ii) the approval of the Board of SES, the Board of the Customer and of the
     Government of Luxembourg and (iii) the availability of the Customer's
     Transponder at SES. The parties shall each use their reasonable efforts to
     obtain the approvals required and SES shall use its reasonable efforts to
     make the Customer's Transponder available as soon as practicable after
     contract signature but in any event before 30 April 1997.

30.  MARKETING COOPERATION

     Taking into account the Customer's plan to introduce into the market an
     aggregate amount of 500,000 IRD's during the start phase of DTH SES and the
     Customer shall cooperate jointly in the marketing activities for rolling
     out the Customer's digital services. Such cooperation shall be mutually
     agreed from time to time.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the duly authorised representatives of the parties hereto
have executed this agreement in two originals on the date first before written.

PCI PROGRAMMING INC.                     SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES S.A.




/s/ ROBERT E. FOWLER, III                /s/ Romain Bausch
- -------------------------                --------------------------------------
By:                                      Romain Bausch
Title:                                   Director General

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SCHEDULE I:     SATELLITE AND TRANSPONDER DESCRIPTION AND PERFORMANCE
                SPECIFICATIONS

A.  ASTRA 1E SATELLITE DESCRIPTION

1.  Satellite Manufacturer             :    Hughes Communication Int. Inc.

2.  Expected Fuel Lifetime (from OSD)  :    14 years

3.  Satellite Station-keeping accuracy :    Longitude +/- 0.10 degrees
                                            inclination +/- 0.10 degrees

4.  Stabilisation System               :    3 axis

5.  Designed Channel Capacity          :

    A maximum of 20 transponders can be operated simultaneously in the first
    five years reducing to 18 transponders thereafter. All transponders are
    eclipse protected and may be selected from the following configurations:

    18 transponders in the 17300 - 17700 MHz uplink and 11700 - 12100 MHz
    downlink frequency band, 16 transponders in the 12750 - 13000 MHz uplink
    and 10700 - 10950 MHz downlink frequency band (ASTRA 1D backup), 16
    transponders in the 13000 - 13250 MHz uplink and 10950 - 11200 MHz downlink
    frequency band (ASTRA 1C backup), 16 transponders in the 14000 - 14250 MHz
    uplink and 11450 - 11700 MHz downlink frequency band (ASTRA 1B backup).

6.  Polarization                               :    Dual Linear

7.  Cross-polarization isolation (for areas
    within the 50 dBW e.i.r.p. contour) on
    vertical and horizontal transponders       :    Typical 30 dB

For the avoidance of doubt, the specifications set out in Parts B and C below
shall constitute part of the terms and conditions of this Agreement but the
description of the Satellite in this Part A is for the Customer's information
only and shall not constitute any term or condition of this Agreement.

B.  SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF TRANSPONDER USE

1.  Initial transponder number on the Satellite        :    79

2.  Customer Uplink Signal frequency                   :    17592.50 MHz

3.  Customer Downlink Signal frequency                 :    11992.50 MHz

4.  Capacity provided                                  :    27.5 MS/s QPSK

5.  Hours of transmission                              :    24 hours per day

6.  Pre-emptibility status                             :    See Schedule VII-A

7.  Polarisation                                       :    Horizontal

C.  ORBITAL POSITION AND TRANSPONDER BANDWIDTH

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                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

1.   Orbital position               :   19.2 degrees East

2.   Usable Transponder bandwidth   :   38 MHz (in the band 11.70 to 12.10 GHz)

D.   TRANSPONDER PERFORMANCE

1.   "Minimum Transponder Performance" is defined as a satellite single carrier
     saturation e.i.r.p. measured under clear sky conditions by a measurement
     test set-up according to standard engineering practice as described in
     Schedule I-E of (all figures in dbW):

                             ACTIVATED ON         ACTIVATED ON
     CITY                   ASTRA 1E OR 1F          ASTRA 1G
     ----                   --------------         --------

     Bialystok                   50                   50
     Gdansk                      52.5                 50
     Kielce                      52                   51
     Krakow                      52                   52
     Lublin                      50                   51
     Olsztyn                     52                   50
     Radom                       51                   51
     Warsaw                      52                   51
     Wroclaw                     52.5                 52
     Betzdorf                    51                   51

     It is understood that SES shall have no obligation to monitor or measure
     the Minimum Transponder Performance in any sites listed above save for
     Betzdorf.

2.   "RECEIVED SIGNAL POWER" is defined as signal power in dBW on the ground in
     Luxembourg measured by a measurement test set-up according to standard
     engineering practice as described in SCHEDULE I-E. If the measurement is
     not performed under clear sky conditions, the measured value shall be
     corrected to account for the effect of weather and propagation conditions.

3.   The Minimum Transponder Performance and Received Signal Power shall be
     those measured or otherwise ascertained where the Customer is complying or
     procuring compliance with SCHEDULE II.

E.   MEASUREMENT TEST SET-UP AND STANDARD ENGINEERING PRACTICE

     The saturated transponder e.i.r.p. and Received Signal Power is measured
     under all weather conditions at the SES Satellite Control Facility in
     Betzdorf, Luxembourg. The measured e.i.r.p. for the Customer's Transponder
     is kept on record.

     In order to accurately determine each transponder e.i.r.p., a measurement
     set-up consisting of a calibrated fluxmeter and radiometer is used. The
     fluxmeter measures the power flux density at earth surface created by each
     individual satellite transponder.

     The radiometer measures atmospheric attenuation along the satellite path,
     assuming the atmosphere to be an absorbing homogeneous medium at a constant
     temperature. Atmospheric attenuation is measured at the beginning of each
     e.i.r.p. measurement cycle.

     The fluxmeter uses a calibrated antenna, with a calibrated RF measurement
     subsystem comprising, among others, a LNA, a down converter and a true RMS
     power sensor. A 33 MHz selectivity bandpass filter is used to reduce errors
     due to adjacent channel interference during e.i.r.p. measurements.

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SCHEDULE II.    CUSTOMER SIGNALS. CUSTOMER UNLINK SIGNALS AND UPLINK FACILITIES

A.  Specifications of Customer Signals and Customer Uplink Signals

    To ensure consistent and uniform reception of high quality video, audio and
    data services by the users of ASTRA transmitted services, and to allow full
    inter-operability between different manufacturer's equipment, SES requires
    each Customer Signal and Customer Uplink Signal to meet the applicable
    provisions of the following specifications:

    ISO/IEC 13818-1/-2/-3

    Generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio (Part 1: Systems;
    Part 2: Video and Part 3: Audio).

    ETS 300 421

    Digital broadcasting systems for television, sound and data services:
    framing structure, channel coding and modulation for 11/12 GHz satellite
    services.

    ETS 300 468

    Digital broadcasting systems for television, sound and data services;
    specification for Service Information (SI) in Digital Video Broadcasting
    (DVB) Systems.

    ETR 154

    Implementation guidelines for the use of MPEG-2 Systems, video and audio in
    satellite and cable broadcasting applications.

    ETR 211

    Guidelines on implementation and usage of service information.

    The Customer agrees to transmit the ASTRA Network Information Table
    ("NIT") as described in SCHEDULE IX. More specifically, the Customer
    Uplink Signals shall automatically update its transmitted NIT to reflect
    any changes of the ASTRA NIT. However, the Customer may modify the parts of
    the NIT describing the Customer Uplink Signals (e.g. addition of service
    list descriptor).

B.  CUSTOMER SIGNALS

1.  Video source coding shall be as specified in MPEG-2 main profile/main
    level.

2.  Audio source coding shall be as specified in ISO/IEC 13818-3 and as defined
    in ETR 154.

C.  CUSTOMER UPLINK SIGNAL AND UPLINK FACILITIES

    The Customer shall comply with the specification and parameters set-out in
    the ASTRA Access Agreement, a copy of which has been separately provided to
    the Customer, which may be amended by SES, as necessary, provided that such
    amendment also applies to other customers on the Satellite.

    More specifically, the Customer Uplink Signals and the Uplink Facilities
    having access to the ASTRA satellite shall meet performance requirements
    established in the ASTRA.

                                      18
<PAGE>   19
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL
     Access Agreement. SES will provide a reasonable prior notice for any
     amendment requiring a change of hardware.
     The following parameters shall also be met:

1.   EARTH STATION EIRP

     For access to the Satellite, the Uplink Facilities must be able to produce
     a minimum earth station e.i.r.p. of to be notified by SES to the Customer
     once the Customer has informed SES of the uplink site dBW per RF channel
     for transmissions originated from to be modified by the Customer to SES
     before OSD.

     However, given that the Service(s) can be transferred to another ASTRA
     satellite, pursuant to Clause 10.5, such transfer may require a separate
     earth station and the Customer should note that for such satellite the
     Uplink Facilities must be able to produce a minimum earth station e.i.r.p.
     to be determined by SES, which may differ from that of the earth station
     which accesses the Satellite.

2.   TRANSMISSION STANDARD

     The transmission standard used for the video, audio, and data services
     shall be in accordance with the specifications given in Section A above.















                                       19
<PAGE>   20
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL



SCHEDULE III:     SERVICE(S) (CLAUSE 10)

The Customer's Transponder shall be used exclusively for the transmission of the
following packages of television services, and related audio, and other services
as specified below all of them targeting at the general public located within
the Target Market. The expression "Target Market" means any or all of the
following countries: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania,
Moldova, Bulgaria, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Slovania, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Yugoslavia, Macedonia and Albania. It is
understood that those countries are only to such extent part of the Target
Market as they are covered by the Satellite footprint.

A.   PAY-PER-VIEW SERVICES, being television services for which the viewer pays
     on the basis of the actual consumption.

B.   PAY TV SERVICES, being encrypted television services available upon
     subscription.

C.   UNENCRYPTED SERVICES, being television services available without any
     special decoding equipment.

D.   OTHER SERVICES: [TBD]

For each service considered, the Customer shall provide SES with the name of the
service, the types of service (pay-per-view, pay TV, unencrypted), the nature of
the programming and the language(s) of the service.

The above information, for any given Service, shall be provided at least 30 days
before the proposed start date for the Service and shall be subject to SES'
consent which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed and, where required,
to the approval of the Government of Luxembourg. Any change of service shall be
subject to the prior written consent of SES which shall not be unreasonably
withheld or delayed.



                                       20



<PAGE>   21
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

SCHEDULE IV:     MONITORING (CLAUSE 8)

In addition to performing the activities related to controlling the Satellite,
SES will also monitor all the transmissions through all its transponders as
described below.

SES will maintain a Network Operations Centre (NOC) capable of monitoring the
Received Signal Power of the Customer's Transponder on a continual basis
in order to produce a computerized record of the RF characteristics of the
Customer's Transponder.

As part of these activities, SES conducts a quarterly test using its In Orbit
Test System (IOTS) of the performance of each transponder on the ASTRA
satellite system. This test will necessitate that the Customer's Uplink Signal
be switched off during selected periods of time in accordance with Clause 8.1
for not more than thirty (30) minutes at a time.

If a problem is detected, the NOC Operators will initiate and co-ordinate
corrective measures in co-operation with the Uplink Facility which is
transmitting the Customer Uplink Signals.

The NOC's specific functions and responsibilities will include:

- --   Receiving and handling reports of Unavailability from customers

- --   Co-ordinating the remedy of the reported difficulty and initiating any
     necessary procedures required to restore lost or impaired service in the
     most expedient manner

- --   Maintaining a complete and accurate record of all reported and observed
     service failures, impairments, and customer contacts

- --   Co-ordinating the overall line-up, pre-service tests, and actual provisions
     of service

- --   Arranging the routine monitoring of the Customer's Transponder as described
     above

- --   Ensuring that any potential events that may affect the operation of the
     Satellite as a whole or of the Customer's Transponder (sun transit, routine
     testing, etc.) are notified to the Customer as soon as practicable and in
     advance if possible

The reporting points for operational purposes shall be:

AT THE CUSTOMER:     c/o Baker McKenzie
                     ul. Dluga 26/28
                     00-238 Warsaw
                     Tel:   (48) 22 635 3521
                            (48) 22 635 4111
                     Fax:   (48) 22 635 9447
                            (48) 39 121 1213

AT SES:              Network Operations Centre
                     Satellite Control Facility
                     L-6815 Chateau de Betzdorf
                     Luxembourg
                     Tel: for urgent problems only:
                              (352) 710 152

                                       21
<PAGE>   22
                                                                 CONFIDENTIAL


                     Tel: for normal operating and general use:

                     Tel:   (352) 710 725-344
                     Fax:   (352) 710 725-227
                            (352) 710 725-213

                     Attn:  Head Network Operations Centre

The above telephone and facsimile numbers are subject to change by SES or the
Customer.















                                       22

<PAGE>   23
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


SCHEDULE V:    CONDITIONAL ACCESS SYSTEM

The Customer may encrypt the Customer Signals using such system as it shall
reasonably select, in conjunction with SES, SES' approval not to be unreasonably
withheld or delayed. The conditional access system selected shall be DVB
compliant (based upon the DVB common scrambling algorithm and mechanisms). A
conditional access system cannot be applied to the Customer Signals during the
time period where SES provides, in its ground station in Betzdorf, encoding and
multiplexing of the Customer Signals.












                                       23
<PAGE>   24
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL

SCHEDULE VI: CHARGES (CLAUSE 4)

A.   The charge payable by the Customer to SES in each year of this Agreement
     (being a year which commences on CSD or any anniversary of that date) shall
     be the sum of the fees to be determined in accordance with paragraphs (i)
     and (ii), subject always to paragraph (iii):




      (i)  At the Customer's election (the Customer to notify SES of its
           election not less than thirty (30) days prior to the commencement of
           each year of this Agreement) either:



                   -    an annual fixed fee of * USD or
                   -    a monthly fixed fee of * USD.



           The annual fixed fee (when payable) shall be paid on the first day
           of the relevant year of this Agreement.  The monthly fixed fee
           (when payable) shall be payable on the first day of each month of
           the relevant year of this Agreement.  The Customer hereby elects to
           pay the monthly fixed fee in the first year of this Agreement, the
           first payment of which shall be on CSD.


      (ii) A variable fee of * USD for each qualifying digital household up
           to * such households and * USD for each qualifying digital
           household exceeding * such households ALWAYS PROVIDED that on or
           from 31 March 1999 until the Expiry Date, there shall be deemed to
           be not less than * qualifying digital households irrespective of the
           actual number of such households.  The expression "qualifying
           digital household" means any household located in which the occupant
           has a current contract with the Customer or one of its affiliates or
           authorized agents or distributors which gives him the right to
           receive any services of the Customer and/or any affiliates of the
           Customer that are transmitted using the Customer's Transponder by
           means of direct pick-up by the occupant (via direct-to-home) of the
           digital signal on an IRD available in the Target Market.


           Following determination of the number of qualifying digital
           households at the end of the calendar year ending in the relevant
           year of this Agreement, the variable payment will be payable on the
           average number of houses of the said calendar year (2 point
           average) thirty (30) days after notification.  For the calendar
           year ending in the first year of this Agreement, the 2 point
           average will start at zero.  Consequently the number of qualifying
           digital households for the first year of this Agreement will be
           half of the number calculated at the end of that calendar year.

           In the first and last year of this Agreement, the variable payment
           will be the number of qualifying digital households multiplied by
           the appropriate rate(s) adjusted to the number of months in the
           relevant calendar year since CSD or until the Expiry Date (as
           applicable).

           Any calculation of the number of qualifying digital households
           shall be verified by an independent auditor to be agreed upon by
           the parties.

     (iii) The aggregate charges payable by the Customer to SES in any year
           shall not exceed 6,750,000 USD.

     [*confidential treatment requested; omitted portions have been filed
     separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission]


B.   The Customer shall effect payment of all charges to the bank account
     identified by SES in the corresponding invoice.

C.   The daily rate of charge to be applied for the purposes of calculating any
     refund to be made pursuant to Clause 6 of the Agreement shall be the
     aggregate charges payable for the Payment Period in the course of which an
     Unavailability occurred divided by the number of days contained in said
     Payment Period

                                       24
<PAGE>   25
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


SCHEDULE VII:    PRIORITY AND PRE-EMPTION

A - CUSTOMER STATUS

The Customer shall have the status of: Non-pre-emptible Customer as defined in
Part B below.

B - CATEGORIES OF USE

SES' customers using the ASTRA satellite system shall be accorded (for each
transponder used) priority status as: Protected, Non-Pre-emptible or
Pre-emptible.

1.   Protected Customers:

     a.   will not be subject to pre-emption by other customers;

     b.   will be entitled to be provided with the use of a back-up transponder
          (this will require the pre-emption of Pre-emptible Customer); and

     c.   shall have the benefit of Spare TWTAs, in preference to certain other
          customers, as set out in PART C below.

2.   Non-Pre-emptible Customers:

     a.   will not be subject to pre-emption themselves;

     b.   will have no rights of pre-emption themselves; and

     c.   shall have the benefit of Spare TWTAs as set out in PART C below.

3.   Pre-emptible Customers:

     a.   have no rights of pre-emption themselves;

     b.   may have their transponder pre-empted, as set out in PART D below, in
          order to provide a back-up transponder to a Protected Customer; and

     c.   shall have the benefit of Spare TWTAs, but subject to the rights of
          other customers in this Schedule, as set out in PART C below.

C.   PRIORITY RULES FOR SPARE TWTAs

As a general rule, Spare TWTAs on the Satellite will be provided on a first
failed/first served basis.

However, in the event of simultaneous transponder failures (or where the
sequences of failures cannot be determined) on the Satellite, and if the number
of failures exceeds the number of available Spare TWTAs, then the following
rules shall apply:

1.   Protected Customers have priority over Non-Pre-emptible Customers who, in
     turn, have priority over Pre-emptible Customers.

2.   Where, pursuant to this Schedule, conflicting rights to Spare TWTAs arise
     between customers with the same priority status, priority shall be given in
     accordance with the following rules:






                                        26
<PAGE>   26
                                                                    CONFIDENTIAL

     a.   customers whose service starts on the Operational Service Date ("OSD
          Customer") shall have priority over those whose service starts at a
          date after such Operational Service Date;

     b.   between OSD Customers, priority shall be determined by reference to
          the expiry dates of their contracts so that the customers with the
          later dates of expiry have priority over customers with earlier expiry
          dates;

     c.   between OSD Customers whose contracts expire on the same date,
          priority shall be determined by reference to the dates on which they
          signed contracts for the use of a transponder, so that the customers
          who signed earlier have priority over those who signed later;

     d.   between customers whose services start after the Operational Service
          Date ("POST OSD CUSTOMERS"), priority shall be determined by
          reference to the customer start dates, so that the customers with
          earlier customer start dates shall have priority over customers with
          later customer start dates;

     e.   between Post OSD Customers who have the same customer start dates,
          priority shall be determined in the same manner as applicable for OSD
          Customers under PARAGRAPH 2(b) AND (c) above; and

     f.   between customers originating from different satellites (i.e.
          customers whose initial transponder was located on an ASTRA satellite
          other than the Satellite), priority shall be determined by reference
          to their respective start date on their respective initial satellite,
          so that the customers with earlier customer start dates shall have
          priority over customers with later customer start dates.

3.   For the purpose of the above rules, (i) the expiry date of a contract
     shall, in case of extension of the contract, refer to the extended expiry
     date, and (ii) the customer start date refers to the start date of a
     customer's initial service and is not affected by any subsequent change of
     the service transmitted under a given customer contract.

D. PRE-EMPTION RULES

1.   If PART A above provides that the Customer has the status of Pre-emptible
     Customer, then the Customer's Transponder shall be pre-emptible on the
     terms set out below.

2.   a.   SES shall have the right to pre-empt the Customer's Transponder to
          provide back-up capacity to restore the service of a Protected
          Transponder in respect of which SES is contractually bound to provide
          back-up capacity at the time pre-emption occurs and if there is no
          Spare TWTA that can be used to restore the Protected Transponder's
          service.

     b.   As used herein, "PROTECTED TRANSPONDER" means the transponder of a
          Protected Customer on another ASTRA satellite, to be nominated by SES
          and notified by SES to the Customer at any time, the protection of
          which directly or indirectly requires the pre-emption of the
          Customer's Transponder. There may be several Protected Transponders
          nominated by SES, provided that each is on a different ASTRA
          satellite. SES may increase or reduce the number of Protected
          Transponders at any time by giving prior written notice to the
          Customer.

3.   To Pre-empt the Customer's Transponder:

     a.   SES will give the Customer at least 24 hours advance warning (by fax
          or phone) of

                                        27

<PAGE>   27
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


          such pre-emption save in the event of consecutive failures of a
          Protected Transponder, in which case such pre-emption warning may be
          shorter, it being understood that SES will keep the Customer informed
          of the status of the Protected Transponders affected by such
          consecutive failures; and

     b.   at the expiry of the aforementioned advance warning, SES shall have
          the right to forthwith interrupt the transmission of all video and
          audio services using the Customer's Transponder and the Customer shall
          therefore forthwith, upon SES' request, interrupt the transmission of
          the Customer Uplink Signal. SES shall in addition have the right to
          interrupt the reception of the Customer Uplink Signals by the
          Customer's Transponder.

4.   The Customer shall comply diligently with SES' instructions for the purpose
     of implementing the pre-emption and shall require the operator of the
     Uplink Facilities to do the same.

5.   a.   If SES pre-empts the Customer's Transponder, then, at that time, SES'
          obligation to provide the use of the Customer's Transponder, and the
          Customer's obligation to pay the corresponding charge, shall be
          suspended. The Agreement shall terminate 30 days after the pre-emption
          date unless SES, within this period, restores the Protected
          Transponder in respect of which pre-emption was implemented. If such
          restoration occurs after this 30 days period, then SES shall offer the
          Customer's Transponder back to the Customer on the terms set out in
          this Agreement for the outstanding period of Term. The Customer shall
          have fifteen (15) days to accept SES' offer.

     b.   Upon termination of the Agreement pursuant hereto, as the case may be,

          i.   SES shall refund to the Customer the pro rata temporis portion of
               the advance payments made by the Customer pursuant to SCHEDULE VI
               and relating to the unexpired portion of the period (in respect
               of which the Customer has paid in advance) in progress on the
               date of pre-emption; or

          ii.  the Customer shall pay to SES all outstanding sums owed to SES at
               the time of termination.

6.   a.   The Customer shall fully cooperate with SES for the exercise, by SES,
          of its right of pre-emption provided herein and shall not raise any
          objection, initiate any legal proceedings against SES or the Protected
          Customer benefiting from the pre-emption, or take other steps, to
          prevent, delay or obstruct the exercise of this right and the Customer
          shall be liable for all damages suffered by SES or such Protected
          Customer in connection therewith.

     b.   The Customer shall not make any claim against SES or the Protected
          Customer benefiting from the pre-emption in connection with the
          exercise, by SES, of its right of pre-emption and shall indemnify SES
          against any related third party claim.





                                       28
<PAGE>   28
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL


SCHEDULE VIII:  ASTRA ACCESS AGREEMENT













                                      29
<PAGE>   29
                                                                   CONFIDENTIAL



SCHEDULE IX:    ASIUS










                                      30


<PAGE>   30












                            (ASTRA ACCESS AGREEMENT)


                         PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF
                        EARTH STATIONS HAVING ACCESS TO
                                ASTRA SATELLITES







- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASTRA Access Agreement                         SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 August 1996                                  CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY










<PAGE>   31







                                  (ASTRA LOGO)





                     SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES S.A.
                    L-6815 CHATEAU DE BETZDORF, LUXEMBOURG


                              TEL: (352) 710725-1
                             FAX: (352) 710725-548



           ASTRA is a trademark of Societe Europeenne des Satellites.
        The information and data contained herein are subject to change.








<PAGE>   32
                                     CONTENTS
<TABLE>
<S>                                                                          <C>
1.    INTRODUCTION ..........................................................  1
2.    ANTENNA SYSTEM ........................................................  2
      2.1.  General .........................................................  2
      2.2.  Frequency Range .................................................  2
      2.3.  Off-axis Antenna Gain Pattern ...................................  4
      2.4.  Polarisation ....................................................  4
      2.5.  Motorisation, Antenna Pointing and Tracking .....................  4

3.    RF EQUIPMENT ..........................................................  5
      3.1.  Frequency Range and Agility .....................................  5
      3.2.  E.i.r.p. Capability .............................................  5
      3.3.  Transmitter Inhibit .............................................  5
      3.4.  Out-of-Band e.i.r.p. Emission ...................................  6
      3.5.  Off-axis e.i.r.p. Density .......................................  6
      3.6.  Frequency Stability .............................................  6

4.    AMPLITUDE AND GROUP DELAY DISTORTIONS .................................  7
      4.1.  FM TV transmission in FSS and BSS bands .........................  7
      4.2.  Digital transmission in FSS and BSS bands .......................  8
      4.3.  Group Delay Equalisation ........................................  9

5.    BASEBAND PARAMETERS FOR FM TV TRANSMISSION ............................ 10
      5.1.  General ......................................................... 10
      5.2.  PAL Transmission Standard ....................................... 10
            5.2.1. Video Signal ............................................. 10
                   5.2.1.1. Frequency Deviation ............................. 10
                   5.2.1.2. Energy Dispersal ................................ 10
                   5.2.1.3. Pre-emphasis .................................... 11
            5.2.2. On-line Testing .......................................... 11
            5.2.3. Audio Signals ............................................ 11
                   5.2.3.1. Audio Channel Modes ............................. 11
                   5.2.3.2. Subcarrier Frequency ............................ 15
                   5.2.3.3. Subcarrier Bandwidth ............................ 16
                   5.2.3.4. Subcarrier Modulation Index ..................... 16
                   5.2.3.5. Analogue Audio .................................. 16
                            5.2.3.5.1. Analogue Audio Deviation ............. 16
                            5.2.3.5.2. Analogue Audio Bandwidth ............. 16
                            5.2.3.5.3. Pre-emphasis ......................... 16
                   5.2.3.6. Digital Audio ................................... 17
                            5.2.3.6.1. Sampling Method ...................... 17
                            5.2.3.6.2. Modulation Method .................... 17
                            5.2.3.6.3. Auxiliary Data ....................... 17
                   5.2.3.7. Network Control Carrier ......................... 17
            5.2.4. Teletext ................................................. 17
</TABLE>


- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASTRA Access Agreement                        SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 August 1996                                 CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY




                                     I
<PAGE>   33
                                    CONTENTS

<TABLE>
<S>                                                                          <C>
6.    CHANNEL CODING, MODULATION, MULTIPLEXING AND SOURCE
      CODING FOR DIGITAL SERVICES ........................................... 18
      6.1.  General ......................................................... 18
      6.2.  Modulation ...................................................... 18
            6.2.1. BSS bands ................................................ 18
            6.2.2. FSS bands ................................................ 18
            6.2.3. Earth Station Degradation ................................ 18
      6.3.  Channel coding .................................................. 18
      6.4.  Power Spectrum Density Mask ..................................... 19
            6.4.1. BSS Bands ................................................ 19
            6.4.2. FSS Bands ................................................ 19
      6.5.  Multiplexing .................................................... 20
            6.5.1. General .................................................. 20
            6.5.2. Transport Stream ......................................... 20
            6.5.3. Service Information ...................................... 20
      6.6.  Source Coding ................................................... 21

7.    ASTRA SATELLITE INFORMATION ........................................... 22
      7.1.  ASTRA 1 series .................................................. 22
            7.1.1. ASTRA 1 Transponder Frequency Plan ....................... 22
      7.2.  ASTRA 2 series .................................................. 31
            7.2.1. ASTRA 2 Transponder Frequency Plan ....................... 31

8.    ORBITAL POSITION/STATION KEEPING ...................................... 35

9.    BEACON INFORMATION .................................................... 35
      9.1.  ASTRA 1A and ASTRA 1B Beacon Details ............................ 36
      9.2.  ASTRA 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G and 1H Beacon Details .................. 36
      9.3.  ASTRA 2A Beacon Details ......................................... 36
      9.4.  ASTRA 2B Beacon Details ......................................... 37

Annex 1 ..................................................................... 38
      MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT) ...................................... 38

</TABLE>


- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASTRA Access Agreement                        SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 August 1996                                 CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                       II
<PAGE>   34
1.    INTRODUCTION

In order to access an ASTRA satellite, approval must first be obtained from
Societe Europeenne des Satellites - SES. The purpose of this approval is to
control the technical parameters of the Uplink Facilities and Customer's Uplink
Signal, to ensure that the following objectives are met:

- --   The desired signal quality and availability are achieved;

- --   Harmful interference is not produced in the other transmissions carried by
     any ASTRA spacecraft;

- --   The interference produced in other satellite systems will not exceed the
     coordinated levels.

This document outlines the specifications established by SES in order to
achieve those objectives. Access to a specific ASTRA satellite will only be
granted after compliance to the specifications has been demonstrated to the
satisfaction of SES.

In case of contradiction between the ASTRA Access Agreement and the Customer's
Transponder Agreement, the latter shall prevail.

The following definitions are utilised in this document:

OPERATOR -- Person, firm, corporation or other legal entity using an ASTRA
transponder.

SATELLITE CONTROL FACILITY (SCF) -- SES earth station complex located at
Betzdorf, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

DIGITAL TRANSMISSION FACILITY (DTF) -- Part of the SES earth station complex,
located at Betzdorf, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, in which digital services are
handled.

ANALOGUE NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTRE (NOC) -- The monitor and control centre for
all analogue ASTRA services, located at the SCF. This provides a 24 hour
monitor and control network reporting point for service quality monitoring and
problem resolution for the ASTRA analogue satellites.

DIGITAL NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTRE (DINO) -- The monitor and control centre for
all ASTRA digital services, located at the DTF. This provides a 24 hour monitor
and control network reporting point for service quality monitoring and problem
resolution for the ASTRA digital satellites.

REFERENCE STANDARD EARTH STATION (RSES) -- These stations are highly maintained
up- and downlinks to be used in developing baseline performance standards for
transmission carried by the ASTRA satellites.

- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASTRA Access Agreement                        SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 August 1996                                 CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                       1


<PAGE>   35
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

                                REFERENCE STANDARD
              SATELLITE            EARTH STATION
              ---------         ------------------
              <S>                       <C>

              ASTRA 1A..................BTZ #2
              ASTRA 1B..................BTZ #3
              ASTRA 1C..................BTZ #4
              ASTRA 1D..................BTZ #5
              ASTRA 1E..................BTZ #6
              ASTRA 1F..................BTZ #10
              ASTRA 1G..................BTZ #12
              ASTRA 1H..................BTZ #14
              ASTRA 2A..................BTZ #13
              ASTRA 2B..................BTZ #15

</TABLE>

              Table 1. ASTRA REFERENCE STANDARD EARTH STATIONS

2.    ANTENNA SYSTEM

2.1.  GENERAL

A dedicated antenna system shall be used for access to any ASTRA satellite.
Simultaneous access to two or more ASTRA satellites by a single antenna system
is not permitted, but it is permitted for one antenna to access a single
spacecraft in both the FSS and BSS bands. By using a dedicated antenna system
as specified herein for a given ASTRA satellite, link performance in terms of
uplink and downlink Carrier/Thermal Noise (C/N) and Carrier/Cross Polar
Interference (C/X) can be maintained.

2.2.  FREQUENCY RANGE

The antenna system is required to meet all the specifications set in the next
items operating in the appropriate FSS or BSS frequency range.

The uplink frequency ranges for the different ASTRA satellites (primary and
back-up bands) are shown in the following Table 2.

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASTRA Access Agreement                       SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
1 August 1996                                CONFIDENTIAL          PROPRIETARY

                                        2

<PAGE>   36
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                   FSS                               BSS
             ----------------------------------------------    ----------------
Satellite       12.75-13.25    13.75-14.00    14.00-14.50         17.30-18.10
- ---------    ----------------------------------------------    ----------------
<S>          <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>
ASTRA 1A.....                                        A-Band
ASTRA 1B.....                              B-Band
ASTRA 1C.....          C-Band                        A-Band
ASTRA 1D.....D-Band    C-Band              B-Band              E-Band
ASTRA 1E.....D-Band    C-Band              B-Band              E-Band
ASTRA 1F.....                                        A-Band    E-Band    F-Band
ASTRA 1G.....                    G-Band                        E-Band    F-Band
ASTRA 1H.....                    G-Band                        E-Band    F-Band
ASTRA 2A.....                    G-Band                        E-Band    F-Band
ASTRA 2B.....                    G-Band    B-Band              E-Band    F-Band
</TABLE>
                     TABLE 2. ASTRA UPLINK FREQUENCY BANDS

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<PAGE>   37
2.3  OFF-AXIS ANTENNA GAIN PATTERN

The gain, (expressed in dBi), relative to an isotropic antenna, at any off-axis
angle (-) (expressed in degrees) shall comply with the following:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

FREQUENCY RANGE (GHz)       GAIN (dBI)              ANGULAR RANGE
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                         <C>                     <C>
14.00 - 14.50.......  G</- 29 - 25 log (-)     1 degrees < (-) </- 20 degrees
                      G</- 32 - 25 log (-)    20 degrees < (-) </- 48 degrees
                      G</- -10                48 degrees < (-) </- 180 degrees

12.75 - 13.25.......  G</- 29 - 25 log (-)   0.5 degrees < (-) </- 36.3 degrees
13.75 - 14.00.......  G</- -10              36.3 degrees < (-) </- 180 degrees

17.30 - 18.10.......  G</- 29 - 25 log (-)     1 degrees < (-) </- 20 degrees
                      G</- -10              36.3 degrees < (-) </- 180 degrees
</TABLE>
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.4.  POLARISATION

The ASTRA satellites employ dual linear orthogonal polarisation. The antenna
polarisation angle will be set with SES during service line-up, following the
appropriate procedure established by the NOC and the DINO. The cross-polarised
signal component transmitted by the antenna shall be as specified below:

                                FSS band: 30 dB
                                BSS band: 35 dB

2.5.  MOTORISATION, ANTENNA POINTING AND TRACKING

Permanent uplink antennas shall be motorised in both azimuth and elevation to
enable rapid repointing in case of necessity, and to facilitate accurate antenna
pattern measurements.

Further, the utilisation of a suitable tracking system is recommended in order
to meet the e.i.r.p. stability requirement specified in the following section
3.2. The tracking system design shall be based on the ASTRA satellite station
keeping and beacon frequency parameters, which are presented in sections 8 and 9
respectively. It shall guarantee the clear sky polarisation value specified in
the previous section 2.4.

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<PAGE>   38
3.    RF EQUIPMENT

The RF equipment, including any redundant equipment, is required to meet all
the specifications set out in the following sections 3.1 to 3.6.

3.1.  FREQUENCY RANGE AND AGILITY

It shall be possible to set the carrier centre frequency to within +/- 125 kHz.

3.2.  e.i.r.p. CAPABILITY

The e.i.r.p. will be established by SES based on the utilised channel and on
the uplink geographical location.

It is expected that SES may request changes in the earth station e.i.r.p.
during the course of the contract, to account for changes in the transponder
performance over its lifetime, utilisation of redundant units or utilisation of
a different transponder.

The uplink e.i.r.p. stability shall be equal to or better than +/- 0.5 dB
including antenna pointing and tracking errors.

Means shall be provided to allow adjustment of the carrier level to within
0.5 dB of the specified value.

3.3.  TRANSMITTER INHIBIT

Operators accessing ASTRA satellites may be required by the NOC or the DINO to
shut down a transmission in the case where it is producing harmful interference
into other transmissions. Shut down of a transmission may also be required to
allow the switching into operation of redundant units in the satellite.

In order to comply with this requirement, the Operator shall provide continuous
manning of the uplink site or a remote control system to another location which
will be manned continuously.

The transmitter shall utilise a system which automatically inhibits the
transmission of a chain upon the detection of failure conditions such as loss of
phase lock on an upconverter or excessive HPA transmit power. This system may
also be designed to, alternatively, switch the transmission to a stand-by chain.


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<PAGE>   39
3.4.  OUT-OF-BAND E.I.R.P. EMISSION

Earth station out-of-band emissions are additional sources of interference for
other carriers utilising ASTRA transponders. The two contributions to
out-of-band e.i.r.p. emission are spurious output and intermodulation products.
Note that the specification applies across all ASTRA uplink bands (both FSS and
BSS) for all stations. The specified limits for these two contributions are
the following:

- -- The out-of-band on-axis e.i.r.p. emissions in the 12.75 - 13.25, 13.75 -
   14.50, and 17.30 - 18.10 GHz bands, resulting from spurious output, must not
   exceed 4.0 dBW/4 kHz;

- -- The out-of-band on-axis e.i.r.p. emissions in the 12.75 - 13.25, 13.75 -
   14.50, AND 17.30 - 18.10 GHz bands, resulting from intermodulation
   products, must not exceed 12.0 dBW/4 kHz.

3.5.  OFF-AXIS e.i.r.p. DENSITY

This parameter has a direct impact on the interference produced in other
satellite systems. In order to keep this interference within acceptable levels,
the earth station must comply with the following e.i.r.p. limits. The off-axis
angle, (-), is referred to the main lobe axis, in degrees.

For the frequency range 14.00-14.50 GHz, based on ITU-R Report 1001:

     35 - 25log (-) dBW/40 kHz      for 2.5 degrees </- (-) </-  48 degrees
     -7 -           dBW/40 kHz      for 48  degrees <   (-) </- 180 degrees

For the frequency range 12.75 - 13.25 GHz based on the ITU Appendix 30B planned
limits (averaged over the necessary bandwidth of 26 MHz):

     -25 - 25log (-) dBW/Hz       for 0.5 degrees </- (-) </- 36.3 degrees
     -64             dBW/Hz       for 36.3 < (-) </- 180 degrees

For the frequency range 13.75 - 14.00 GHz, the antenna must fully comply with
the antenna specification (section 2.3).

For the frequency range 17.30 - 18.10 GHz, the input power to the antenna
shall not exceed 30 dBW in a single transponder, and the antenna must conform
fully with the antenna specification (section 2.3).

3.6.  FREQUENCY STABILITY

The RF frequency tolerance of the transmitted carrier shall be equal to or
better than +/- 150 kHz, long and short term stability.

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                                       6

<PAGE>   40
4.   AMPLITUDE AND GROUP DELAY DISTORTIONS

4.1. FM TV TRANSMISSION IN FSS AND BSS BANDS

The earth station IF uplink filter shall be provided in the uplink chain and
shall conform to the amplitude limits shown in Figure 4.1.1.

The group delay produced by transmit earth station IF and RF equipment -
including the up-converter, IF filter, HPA, RF filter combiners, feed and
transmission lines - shall be equalised to the limits given in Figure 4.1.2.

                                 [FIGURE 143A]

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

             FREQUENCY (MHz)                           AMPLITUDE (dB)
- ------------------------------------------   -----------------------------------
 <S>         <C>         <C>        <C>        <C>        <C>       <C>      <C>
  A           B           C          D          a          b         c        d
- -----       ------      ------     ------     -----      -----     -----   -----
 20.2        25.2        28.9       40.0       0.2        2.2       8.3     25.0
- ------------------------------------------   -----------------------------------


</TABLE>
             Figure 4.1.1. IF UPLINK FILTER AMPLITUDE RESPONSE

                                  [FIGURE 143B]


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

         FREQUENCY (MHz)                             GROUP DELAY (ns)
- -----------------------------------       --------------------------------------
 <S>            <C>           <C>           <C>             <C>              <C>
 A/3             A             H             f               g                h
- -----          -----         -----         -----           -----           -----
 6.7           20.2          24.6           2.0             3.0             12.0
- -----------------------------------       --------------------------------------
</TABLE>
             Figure 4.1.2. IF UPLINK GROUP DELAY RESPONSE

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<PAGE>   41
4.2.  DIGITAL TRANSMISSION IN FSS AND BSS BANDS

For the FSS or BSS transmit channel from upconverter input to antenna output,
the total amplitude and group delay distortions shall not exceed the values
specified in Table 4.2.1.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

                                        FSS                 BSS
                                 -----------------   -----------------
<S>                                <C>     <C>         <C>    <C>
Frequency (MHz).................     26      30          33     39
Amplitude variation (dBpp)......    0.5     0.7         0.5    0.7
Group delay variation (nspp)....    6.0     8.0         6.0    8.0
</TABLE>
               Table 4.2.1. AMPLITUDE AND GROUP DELAY DISTORTIONS

In the case where an RF channel filter network is used, the amplitude and group
delay masks specified in Figure 4.2.1 and 4.2.2 shall be met from the HPA
output to the antenna output.



                                  (FIGURE 144)



<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

BAND                      FREQUENCY (MHz)                AMPLITUDE (dB)
- ----                ---------------------------    ----------------------------
<S>                     <C>     <C>     <C>            <C>     <C>     <C>
                         A       B       C               a       b      c
FSS                     26      30      114
                                                        0.25    0.35    35
BSS                     33      39      123
</TABLE>
               Figure 4.2.1. RF CHANNEL FILTER AMPLITUDE RESPONSE

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<PAGE>   42
                                  [FIGURE 145]



<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

BAND       FREQUENCY (MHz)         GROUP DELAY (ns)
              A       B               a       b
<S>          <C>     <C>             <C>     <C>
FSS...        26      30
                                     3.5     5.0
BSS           33      39

</TABLE>
                   Figure 4.2.2. RF CHANNEL GROUP DELAY MASK

4.3.   GROUP DELAY EQUALISATION

Equalisation capability shall be provided at the earth station for intrinsic
group delay in the earth station transmit equipment and for group delay in the
satellite transponder.

     The maximum range of satellite group delay to be equalised at the earth
station is given below:

- --   Linear    :   +/-1.0 ns/MHz

- --   Parabolic :   0.5 ns/MHz(2)













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                                        9
<PAGE>   43
5.    BASEBAND PARAMETERS FOR FM TV TRANSMISSION

5.1.   GENERAL

In general the baseband television signal parameters defined shall be designed
in accordance with the relevant definitions and standards for that system and as
authorised by SES.

5.2.   PAL TRANSMISSION STANDARD

5.2.1. VIDEO SIGNAL

The transmitted video signal shall correspond to that of ITU-R Report 624-4 and
Recommendation 472-3, using PAL values with a maximum video signal bandwidth of
5 MHz.

A lowpass filter at the video input to the modulator shall reject any signal
above 6 MHz by at least 40 dB. Up to 5 MHz this filter shall have a group delay
ripple of less than +/-20 ns.

The following items present information concerning the basis modulation
parameters.

5.2.1.1. FREQUENCY DEVIATION

The utilised peak-to-peak frequency deviation for the video signal shall be
16 MHz/V, assuming the difference between white and black levels to be 0.7 V.

5.2.1.2. ENERGY DISPERSAL

The earth station shall be equipped to add to the TV signal a fixed amplitude
symmetrical triangular waveform, phase locked to the video frame rate, capable
of producing the specified peak-to-peak deviation of the television carrier.
The utilised frequency of that waveform shall be 25 Hz.

The energy dispersal waveform shall be applied automatically and produce the
following peak-to-peak deviation of the TV carrier:

- -- In the presence of a modulating signal: 2.0 MHz

- -- In the absence of a modulating signal:  4.0 MHz

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<PAGE>   44
5.2.1.3. PRE-EMPHASIS

The utilised pre-emphasis network shall be that defined in the ITU-R
Recommendation 405-1 (625 lines).

5.2.2. ON-LINE TESTING

In order to enable service performance monitoring while on-line transmission is
present, vertical interval test signals (VITS) shall be inserted on the
transmitted baseband video signal. These signals are based on ITU-R
Recommendation 473-5, as depicted in Figures 5.2.2.1 - 5.2.2.3 and shall
utilise one of the following VITS line modes:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

          TEST SIGNAL               LINE        LINE        LINE
          -----------               ----        ----        ----
          <S>                       <C>   <C>   <C>   <C>   <C>
          CCIR 17..............     17          18          19
          CCIR 18..............     18    or    19    or    20
          CCIR 330.............     330         331         332
          CCIR 331.............     331         332         333
</TABLE>

In addition line 22 shall always be used as a "quiet" line to allow the
measurement of end-to-end signal/noise ratio or for other purposes specified by
SES.

5.2.3. AUDIO SIGNALS

5.2.3.1. AUDIO CHANNEL MODES

The TV carrier shall (normally) be supplemented by a number of audio channels.
The following sections describe the various subcarrier configurations that may
be used for the transmission of audio channels for both TV-related and non
TV-related applications.

Only those subcarriers specified in the Customer's Transponder Agreement shall
be utilised and only subcarrier modulation equipment approved by SES shall be
employed.

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<PAGE>   45
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
 CHARACTERISTICS MEASURED            WAVEFORM USED                LINE NUMBER
 ------------------------            -------------                -----------
<S>                             <C>            <C>             <C>
Linear distortions

  Insertion gain........        B(2)            Bar                17 and 330
  Amplitude/frequency
    response............        C(2) and C(1)   Multiburst            18
  Line-time waveform
    distortion..........        B(2)            Bar                17 and 330
  Short-time waveform
    distortion:
    -- step response.....        B(2)            Bar                17 and 330
    -- pulse response....        B(1)            2T                 17 and 330

  Chrominance-luminance
    gain inequality.....        B(2) and G(1),  Bar & Subcarr.  17 and 330, 331
                                or G(2)         Bar & 20T             17
                                B(2) and F

  Chrominance-luminance
    delay inequality....        F               20T                   17


Non-linear distortions

  Luminance line-time
    non-linearity.......        D(1)            Staircase             17
  Chrominance
    non-linearity.......        G(2)            3Step Subcarr.        331
  Luminance-Chrominance
    intermodulation:
  -- differential
     gain...........            D(2)            Modulated             330
  -- differential
     phase..........            D(2) and E      Staircase           330, 331
  Chrominance-luminance
    intermodulation.....        B(2) and G(1)   Bar & Subcarr.      17.331
                                or G(2)
</TABLE>
                           Table from CCITT-Rec N. 67
                 Figure 5.2.2.1 VERTICAL INTERVAL TEST SIGNALS

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                                       12
<PAGE>   46
                                 [FIGURE 149 A]
















                                 [FIGURE 149 B]



















                Figure 5.2.2.2    VERTICAL INTERVAL TEST SIGNALS

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<PAGE>   47
                                 [FIGURE 150 A]
















                                 [FIGURE 150 B]



















                Figure 5.2.2.3    VERTICAL INTERVAL TEST SIGNALS

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<PAGE>   48
5.2.3.2. SUBCARRIER FREQUENCY

The audio subcarriers shall utilise only the frequencies presented in Table
5.2.3.2.1. and shall only be used in the manner indicated in the column
"Type", and in accordance with Section 5.2.3.1.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
TYPE                              FREQUENCY (MHz)
- ----                              ---------------
<S>                               <C>
Digital Only .....................     6.12@
Digital Only .....................     6.30@
Digital Only .....................     6.48@
Digital Only .....................     6.66@
Digital Only .....................     6.84@
TV sound (A:L/M) .................     7.02
TV sound (A:R/M) .................     7.20
D or A (L / M) ...................     7.38
D or A (R / M) ...................     7.56
D or A (L / M) ...................     7.74
D or A (R / M) ...................     7.92
Digital Only .....................     8.10*
Digital Only .....................     8.28*
Digital Only .....................     8.46#
Low Speed Data for network control    8.595#
</TABLE>

Table 5.2.3.2.1. SUBCARRIERS FREQUENCIES

A  =  analogue companded system with Panda(R)-I parameters.
D  =  digital stereo 192 kbit/s QPSK signal using ISO 11172-3
      Layer II parameters.
L  =  left stereo        R = right stereo      M = mono
*  -  Frequency tolerance of plus/minus 0.005 MHz for all subcarriers
@  -  As an option, these five subcarriers may be replaced by a single
      non-companded analogue subcarrier at 6.50 MHz used for mono TV
      sound.
+  -  These subcarriers may only be used if subcarriers 7.74 and 7.92 MHz
      are digital.
#  -  In some applications the use of this subcarrier may be restricted
      to prevent degradation of the picture quality.
(R) - Panda is a registered trademark of WEGENER Communications Inc.

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<PAGE>   49
5.2.3.3. SUBCARRIER BANDWIDTH

A 130 kHz nominal bandwidth shall be utilised for all the analogue companded or
digital audio subcarriers. In the case of the non-companded mono subcarrier, the
nominal bandwidth of the modulated signal shall be 200 kHz.

5.2.3.4 SUBCARRIER MODULATION INDEX

The modulation index of the subcarrier, BETAsc, is given by the following
expression:

                              BETAsc = Osc/Fsc

Where Osc is the peak deviation produced by the subcarrier in the TV carrier and
Fsc is the frequency of the subcarrier, both Osc and Fsc being given in MHz.

For the analogue companded subcarriers, a modulation index of 0.15 shall be
utilised. For the digital audio subcarriers, a modulation index of 0.12 shall be
utilised. For the network control subcarrier (8.595 MHz) a modulation index of
0.10 shall be utilised. In the case of the non-companded mono subcarrier a
modulation index of 0.26 shall be utilised.

5.2.3.5. ANALOGUE AUDIO

5.2.3.5.1. ANALOGUE AUDIO DEVIATION

The peak frequency deviation produced by a 9 dBm0 test tone on the analogue
companded subcarriers shall be +/- 50 kHz. In the case of the non-companded mono
subcarrier, a 9 dBm0 test tone shall produce a peak frequency deviation of +/-
85 kHz.

5.2.3.5.2. ANALOGUE AUDIO BANDWIDTH

All the analogue audio channels shall provide an audio baseband ranging from 20
Hz to 15 kHz.

5.2.3.5.3. PRE-EMPHASIS

The analogue companded subcarriers shall utilise 75 us together with an adaptive
pre-emphasis compatible with the WEGENER Communications Panda(R)-1 system. The
pre-emphasis time constant of the non-companded audio subcarrier shall be 50 us.



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<PAGE>   50
5.2.3.6. DIGITAL AUDIO

The digital audio subcarriers shall utilise ISO 11172-3 Layer II coding system
to achieve a CD quality stereo channel and shall conform with the SES document
"ASTRA DIGITAL RADIO (ADR)".

5.2.3.6.1 SAMPLING METHOD

The analogue stereo signal input shall be sampled at a rate of 48 ksamples/s.
Compression based on the ISO 11172-3 Layer II algorithm shall then be performed
to generate a 192 kbit/s digital stereo signal.

5.2.3.6.2. MODULATION METHOD

The digital audio signals shall be modulated using the differential QPSK
method, with a convolutional code of rate 3/4, with constraint length 7. CCITT
V.35 scrambling shall be employed. An appropriate filter mask shall be applied
in the modulator to limit the bandwidth to the same value as for an analogue
companded subcarrier.

5.2.3.6.3. AUXILIARY DATA

The format of any auxiliary data in the ISO 11172-3 Layer II data stream shall
be agreed by SES in writing.

5.2.3.7. NETWORK CONTROL CARRIER

The maximum data rate shall be 14.4 kbit/s using asynchronous FSK modulation.
The modulation index shall be 0.10.

5.2.4. TELETEXT

The Teletext signal shall conform to the specifications for Teletext System B
as defined in ITU-R Recommendation 653, for the case of a 625/50 television
system.

THE VBI (VERTICAL BLANKING INTERVAL) SHALL NOT BE USED FOR TRANSMISSION OF ANY
OTHER TYPE OF INFORMATION OR SIGNAL WITHOUT PREVIOUS AUTHORISATION IN WRITING
FROM SES.

Teletext signals shall only be inserted between lines 7 and 21 inclusive (and
the corresponding lines in the second field) other than on those lines used for
VITS test signals as specified in paragraph 5.2.2 unless specifically approved
in writing by SES.

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                                       17
<PAGE>   51
6.    CHANNEL CODING, MODULATION, MULTIPLEXING AND SOURCE CODING FOR DIGITAL
      SERVICES

6.1.  GENERAL

Channel coding and modulation equipment shall conform to the following
specifications:

     ETS 300 421

     Digital broadcasting systems for television, sound and data services;
     Framing structure, channel coding and modulation for 11/12 GHz satellite
     services.

     ETR 154

     Digital broadcasting systems for television; Implementation guidelines for
     the use of MPEG-2 systems; Video and audio in satellite and cable
     broadcasting applications.

The transmitted RF carrier spectrum shall not be inverted with respect to the
modulator output spectrum. The phase accuracy at the modulator output shall be
plus/minus 2 degrees. The amplitude accuracy at the modulator output shall be
plus/minus 0.2 dB.

6.2.   MODULATION

6.2.1. BSS BANDS

The modulation shall be QPSK at a transmission bit rate of 55.0 Mbit/s, in
order to operate with a single carrier at a fixed symbol rate of 27.5 Msym/s.

6.2.2. FSS BANDS

The modulation shall be QPSK at a transmission bit rate of 44.0 Mbit/s, in
order to operate with a single carrier at a fixed symbol rate of 22.0 Msym/s.

6.2.3. EARTH STATION DEGRADATION

The E(o)/N(o) degradation (for the case of FEC 3/4 and BER = 10(-7)) caused by
the earth station equipment shall be less than 0.5 dB. This value shall be
verified in a station loop including baseband, IF and RF equipment of the uplink
and downlink chain.

6.2.  CHANNEL CODING

Forward Error Correction (FEC) shall conform to the specifications given in
section 6.1 and shall permit the use of one or more of the following FEC
ratios: 1/2, 2/3, 3/4 or (in the case of FSS 26 MHz bandwidth) 5/6.


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<PAGE>   52
6.4.  POWER SPECTRUM DENSITY MASK

6.4.1 BSS BANDS

To avoid adjacent channel interference, the RF spectrum at the output of the
power amplifier of the earth station shall not exceed the tolerance mask shown
in Fig. 6.4.1. It may be necessary to operate the power amplifier in back-off
mode in order to achieve this specification.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FREQUENCY OFFSET (+/-)     AMPLITUDE
    (MHz)                    (dB)
- ---------------------      ---------
<S>                        <C>                       [FIGURE 155A]
  0 - 19.50 .........          0.0
 19.50 - 29.25 ......        -25.0
  >/= 40.00 .........        -40.0         FIGURE 6.4.1 BSS POWER SPECTRUM MASK

</TABLE>

6.4.2. FSS BANDS

To avoid adjacent channel interference, the RF spectrum at the output of the
power amplifier of the earth station shall not exceed the tolerance mask shown
in Fig. 6.4.2. It may be necessary to operate the power amplifier in back-off
mode in order to achieve this specification.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FREQUENCY OFFSET (+/-)      AMPLITUDE
    (MHz)                     (dB)
- ----------------------      ---------
<S>                         <C>                       [FIGURE 155B]
  0 - 14.75 .........           0.0
 14.75 - 22.50 ......         -25.0
  >/= 30.00 .........         -40.0         FIGURE 6.4.2 FSS POWER SPECTRUM MASK

</TABLE>

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                                       19
<PAGE>   53
6.5.  MULTIPLEXING

6.5.1. GENERAL

Multiplexing of video, audio, and data signals shall conform to the following
specifications:

     ISO/IEC 13818-1

     Generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio (Part 1: Systems).

     ETR 154

     Digital broadcasting systems for television; Implementation guidelines for
     the use of MPEG-2 systems; Video and audio in satellite and cable
     broadcasting applications.

6.5.2. TRANSPORT STREAM

The Transport Stream (excluding error correcting code overhead) shall operate at
one of the following bit rates, dependent on the FEC to be used:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                        FEC RATIO       TRANSPORT STREAM BIT RATE
                                                (Mbit/s)
                        ---------       -------------------------
                        <S>                <C>             <C>
                                           BSS             FSS
                        1/2 . . . . . . .  25.34           20.27
                        2/3 . . . . . . .  33.79           27.03
                        3/4 . . . . . . .  38.01           30.41
                        5/6 . . . . . . .  n.a.            33.79
</TABLE>

6.5.3. SERVICE INFORMATION

Service Information shall conform to the following specifications:

     ETS 300 468

     Digital broadcasting systems for television, sound and data services;
     Specification for Service Information (SI) in Digital Video Broadcasting
     (DVB) systems.

     ETR 211

     Digital broadcasting systems for television; Implementation guidelines for
     the use of MPEG-2 systems; Guidelines on implementation and usage of
     service information.


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<PAGE>   54
It is further required to receive the original ASTRA NETWORK INFORMATION TABLE
(NIT) uplinked from Betzdorf and to re-transmit this table in intervals of at
least 10 seconds on each locally uplinked ASTRA transponder.

The last version of the original NIT should be kept in memory.  This ensures an
uninterrupted availability of the NIT in case the original NIT cannot be
received.

By means of the local Service Information editing station, the transponder
specific parts of the NIT can be modified/updated at any time.

A MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT) has been defined to provide a mechanism for
conveying diagnostic information about the consistency of all multiplexes to the
central Network Operations Centre at Betzdorf.

The local uplinks should generate such MDT in the case a service failure occurs
for longer than 10 seconds, i.e. if a service component (video, audio, subtitle
or accompanied data) or a Service Information component (NIT, SDT, EIT or TDT)
is missing.

This involves that the local encoders signal corresponding failure information
to the local multiplex controller that shall generate the MDT.  After the
failure has been eliminated, the local uplink stops transmitting the MDT.

Details on the Multiplex Diagnostic Table concept can be found in Annex 1.

In addition it is recommended that a transmitted SERVICE DESCRIPTION TABLE (SDT)
includes the service information about all services on the respective
transponder on which it is transmitted, and that an EVENT INFORMATION TABLE
(EIT) includes the event information about all present and following events for
all services on the respective transponder.


6.6.  SOURCE CODING

Source coding of video and audio signals shall conform to the following
specifications:

     ISO/IEC 13818-2/-3

     Generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio (Part 2: Video and
     Part 3: Audio).

     ETR 154

     Digital broadcasting systems for television; Implementation guidelines for
     the use of MPEG-2 systems; Video and audio in satellite and cable
     broadcasting applications.

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<PAGE>   55
7.   ASTRA SATELLITE INFORMATION

7.1. ASTRA 1 SERIES

Presently, there are six ASTRA satellites (ASTRA 1A to 1F) at the orbital
position of 19.2 degrees East. In the middle of 1997, ASTRA 1G will be added to
fill the available frequency spectrum at 19.2 degrees East. ASTRA 1G is SES'
seventh satellite to be co-positioned at 19.2 degrees East. Adding 16
transponders, the spacecraft will increase the digital transmission capacity on
that position to 120 transponders.

The eight satellite at the 19.2 degrees East orbital position, ASTRA 1H will be
launched to provide backup capability for the other satellites at that position.

                         7.1.1 ASTRA 1 TRANSPONDER FREQUENCY PLAN

Figures 7.1.a. to 7.1.g. present the ASTRA 1 satellite system frequency plans.
All transponders are linearly polarised, utilising the polarisation scheme
presented in Table 7.1. The two polarisations are orthogonal to each other and
the horizontal polarisation has a counter-clockwise rotation of 7.5 degrees
relative to the orbit plane, as viewed from the satellite.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
           Transponder             Uplink                  Downlink
           -----------             ------                  ----------
           <S>                     <C>                     <C>

           Odd.................... Vertical                Horizontal
           Even................... Horizontal              Vertical
</TABLE>

All the ASTRA 1 satellites provide four different downlink coverage modes, as
detailed in Tables 7.1.a to 7.1.b. These four modes provide different coverage,
concentrating more downlink power in different regions of Europe.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
SATELLITE              ASTRA 1A         ASTRA 1B            ASTRA 1C            ASTRA 1D
- ---------              --------        ---------            --------            --------
  MODE                                             TRANSPONDER
- ---------            ----------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                  <C>             <C>               <C>                   <C>
Horizontal 1.......  1, 5, 9, 13     17, 21, 25, 29    33, 37, 41, 45        49, 53, 57, 61
Horizontal 2.......  3, 7, 11, 15    19, 23, 27, 31    35, 39, 43, 47, 63    51, 55, 59, 63
Vertical 1.........  4, 8, 12, 16    20, 24, 28, 32    36, 40, 44, 48, 64    52, 56, 60, 64
Vertical 2.........  2, 6, 10, 14    18, 22, 26, 30    34, 38, 42, 46        50, 54, 58, 62

</TABLE>

                                Table 7.1.a. - ASTRA 1A to 1D DOWNLINK


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<PAGE>   56



<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
SATELLITE                  ASTRA 1E                  ASTRA 1F                  ASTRA 1G
- ---------             ------------------     ------------------------     ------------------
  MODE                                              TRANSPONDER
- ---------             ----------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                   <C>                    <C>                          <C>
Horizontal + ........ 65, 69, 73, 77, 81     85, 89, 93, 97, 101          105, 109, 113, 117

Horizontal - ........ 67, 71, 75, 79         83, 87, 91, 95, 99, 103      107, 111, 115, 119

Vertical - .......... 68, 72, 76, 80         84, 88, 92, 96, 100, 104     108, 112, 116, 120

Vertical + .......... 66, 70, 74, 78, 82     86, 90, 94, 98, 102          106, 110, 114, 118
</TABLE>



                          TABLE 7.1.b. -- ASTRA 1E TO 1G DOWNLINK









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<PAGE>   57










                                  [FIGURE 160]









                      FIGURE 7.1 A  A-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN

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<PAGE>   58










                                  [FIGURE 161]









                      FIGURE 7.1 B  B-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN

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<PAGE>   59










                                  [FIGURE 162]









                      FIGURE 7.1 C  C-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN

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<PAGE>   60










                                  [FIGURE 163]









                      FIGURE 7.1 D  D-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN

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<PAGE>   61










                                  [FIGURE 164]









                      FIGURE 7.1 E  E-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN

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<PAGE>   62










                                  [FIGURE 165]









                      FIGURE 7.1 F  F-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN

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<PAGE>   63










                                  [FIGURE 166]









                      FIGURE 7.1 G  G-BAND FREQUENCY PLAN

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<PAGE>   64
7.2.  ASTRA 2 SERIES

As of autumn 1997, a second orbital position at 28.2 degrees East will be
activated with the deployment of ASTRA 2A. A second satellite, ASTRA 2B, will be
co-located at 28.2 degrees East in late 1998.

ASTRA 2A will have 28 active Ku-band transponders (32 for the first five years)
operating in the Broadcast Satellite Services frequency band (11.70 - 12.50
GHz), powered by 100 Watt travelling-wave tube amplifiers.

ASTRA 2B will provide up to 28 highpower Ku-band transponders (30 for the first
five years) with an output of 108 Watt each. All transponders can operate over
Europe and a steerable antenna offers the capability for up to 16 transponders
in 12.50 - 12.75 GHz frequency range to be activated within any area of the
earth visible from 28.2 degrees East.

Co-located at 28.2 degrees East, the two spacecraft will provide SES with a
total of 56 transponders in the frequency range 11.70 - 12.75 GHz for digital
broadcast at the second ASTRA orbital position.

7.2.1. ASTRA 2 TRANSPONDER FREQUENCY PLAN

Figures 7.2.a. and 7.2.b. present the ASTRA 2 satellite frequency plans. All
transponders are linearly polarised, utilising the polarisation scheme presented
in Table 7.2. The two polarisations are orthogonal to each other and the
horizontal polarisation has a counter-clockwise rotation of 7.5 degrees relative
to the orbit plane, as viewed from the satellite.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
           TRANSPONDER             UPLINK                  DOWNLINK
           -----------             ------                  --------
           <S>                     <C>                     <C>
           Odd                     Vertical                Horizontal
           Even                    Horizontal              Vertical
</TABLE>

Table 7.2. - ASTRA 2 TRANSPONDER POLARISATION SCHEME

All the ASTRA 2 satellites  provide different downlink coverage modes, as
detailed in Table 7.2.a These four modes provide different coverage,
concentrating more downlink power in different regions of Europe.



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<PAGE>   65
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
      SATELLITE                 ASTRA 2A                  ASTRA 2B
- --------------------- -------------------------- ------------------------
                                           TRANSPONDER
                      ---------------------------------------------------
   Pol.        Beam       E-Band       F-Band      F-Band      G-Band
- ----------    ------- -------------- ----------- ---------- -------------
<S>           <C>     <C>            <C>         <C>        <C>
Horizontal.... South   1,5,9,13,17    21,25       29,33,37   41,45,49,53
Horizontal.... North   3,7,11,15      19,23,27    31,35,39   43,47,51,55
Vertical...... South   2,6,10,14,18   22,26       30,34,38   42,46,50,54
Vertical...... North   4,8,12,16      20,24,28    32,36,40   44,48,52,56
</TABLE>
                  Table 7.2.a.-ASTRA 2A and 2B DOWNLINK

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<PAGE>   66










                                  [FIGURE 169]









                     FIGURE 7.2 A  ASTRA 2A FREQUENCY PLAN

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<PAGE>   67










                                  [FIGURE 170]









                     FIGURE 7.2 B  ASTRA 2B FREQUENCY PLAN

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<PAGE>   68
8.   ORBITAL POSITION/STATION KEEPING

The nominal orbital position of the ASTRA 1 satellites is 19.2 degrees East.
The orbital position of the ASTRA 2 satellites is 28.2 degrees East.

Under normal operating conditions SES will maintain the ASTRA satellites within
the following station-keeping box:

                    +/-0.10 degrees North/South
                    +/-0.10 degrees East/West

9.   BEACON INFORMATION

The following table shows the beacon frequencies (MHz) for the different
spacecraft:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                            VERTICAL         HORIZONTAL
                                            --------         ----------
<S>                                         <C>              <C>
ASTRA 1A..................................   11203.0           11446.5
ASTRA 1B..................................   11453.5           11696.5
ASTRA 1C..................................   11451.0           11448.5
ASTRA 1D..................................   11454.0           11447.5
ASTRA 1E..................................   11202.0           10948.5
ASTRA 1F..................................   11201.0           10946.5
ASTRA 1G..................................   11701.0           11699.0
ASTRA 1H..................................   11707.0           11693.5
ASTRA 2A..................................   11706.0           11694.5
ASTRA 2B..................................   11708.0
                                             11710.0
</TABLE>

                       Table 9.1 BEACON FREQUENCIES (MHz)

At least one beacon will always be operational per spacecraft.

The beacon frequency stability is 1 ppm per day. Under normal operating
conditions the minimum beacon e.i.r.p. on any spacecraft shall be 16 dBW. For
the design of suitable tracking antenna systems, the following information
regarding the appropriate ASTRA ranging and telemetry characteristics shall be
used as a baseline.

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<PAGE>   69
9.1.  ASTRA 1A AND ASTRA 1B BEACON DETAILS

The following characteristics apply to both ASTRA 1A and ASTRA 1B.

PCM Telemetry:      Phase modulation of beacon carrier by PCM (Biphase L)
                    telemetry to a peak deviation of 1.0+/-0.1 radians. Data
                    rate is 1 kbits/s.

Analog Telemetry:   Phase modulation of beacon carrier by frequency modulated
                    14.5 kHz subcarrier to a peak deviation of 1.0+/-0.1
                    radians.

Ranging:            Phase modulation of beacon carrier by ranging signals at
                    19 kHz or 27.777 kHz to a peak deviation of 1.0+/-0.1
                    radians.

Ranging + PCM       Phase modulation of beacon carrier by composite ranging
Telemetry           signals at 19 kHz or 27.777 kHz together with PCM telemetry
                    data signal to a peak deviation of 1.0+/-0.1 radians. In
                    absence of ranging signals, the deviation of PCM data alone
                    is 0.5+/-0.05 radians.

There are four ranging tones. The first three ranging tones at 35.43 Hz, 283.45
Hz and 3968.25 Hz serially frequency modulate the 19 kHz subcarrier. The fourth
ranging tone is at 27.777 kHz.

9.2.  ASTRA 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G, 1H AND 2A BEACON DETAILS

The following characteristics apply to the beacons on ASTRA 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G,
1H and 2A.

During PCM-mode, the beacon is phase modulated (PM) by a telemetry subcarrier
with a subcarrier frequency of 32 kHz and a modulation index of 1.25+/-0.15
radians. The subcarrier is biphase modulated by telemetry data.

During range mode, the 32 kHz subcarrier is switched off and the beacon is phase
modulated by sequences of 4 ranging tones with a modulation index of 1.00+/-0.15
radians.

9.4.  ASTRA 2B BEACON DETAILS

The following characteristics apply to the beacons on ASTRA 2B.

During PCM mode, the beacon is phase modulated (PM) by a telemetry subcarrier
with a subcarrier frequency of 32 kHz and a peak modulation index of 1.5
radians. The subcarrier is coherent PSK modulated by telemetry data.

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<PAGE>   70
During ranging mode, the 32 kHz subcarrier is switched off and the beacon is
phase modulated by a ranging tone, which itself is modulated by an ambiguity
resolution code. The peak modulation index during ranging is 0.7 radians.

During simultaneous PCM and ranging on the TM downlink signal, the
PCM-modulated 32 kHz subcarrier and ranging tone are combined into one baseband
signal, which modulates the main carrier with max. effective modulation indices
of 1.4 radians for the PCM-signal and 0.4 radians for the ranging tone.





















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<PAGE>   71
ANNEX 1

                       SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
                              TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT

                        MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT)

1    INTRODUCTION

In a digital broadcast environment with a multitude of services there is a need
for highly automated means to monitor and subsequently to provide information
(e.g. failure messages) about the availability of services as well as of service
components such as video, audio and subtitling and of Service Information
tables.

In order to support the detection of service failures, to provide information
for remedial measures and to efficiently log such events, a transport mechanism,
the Multiplex Diagnostic Table (MDT) has been defined. This system will serve
for conveying diagnostic information about the consistency of all DVB/MPEG-2
multiplexes on ASTRA to the central Digital Network Operations Centre (DINO) of
Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES).

2    FUNCTIONALITY

MDTs can be generated at any point in the transmission chain to signal missing
streams (e.g. video, audio, subtitle or accompanied data) or Service Information
components (e.g. NIT, SDT, EIT or TDT) within a multiplex. As the underlying
concept of the MDT system is to detect and signal failures at the point where
they are generated, the system supervisor of the DVB/MPEG-2 encoding,
multiplexing and modulation equipment should monitor the correct functioning of
all equipment modules and should generate an MDT in the case a service failure
occurs for longer than 10 seconds.

MDTs shall then be periodically transmitted every 10 seconds until the failure
is fixed. In addition to faulty equipment modules also missing input streams can
be identified by subsequent modules in the transmission chain which then
generate corresponding MDTs.

This principle will be applied e.g. by the special monitor IRDs of the DINO
which can not only receive and extract incoming MDTs from the multiplexes but
also can generate MDTs in the case e.g. Service Information components are
missing. All MDTs are being fed via the ASTRA Service Information Update System
(ASIUS) into the Service Availability System (SAS) of the Digital Network
Operations Centre. Upon reception of an MDT an alert is initiated by the DINO
computer system which then enables the operator to act appropriately based on
detailed transponder specific diagnostic information provided together with the
alert message.

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<PAGE>   72
3    SYNTAX OF THE MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT)

The syntax of the MDT is conforming to the one defined in the standard ISO/IEC
13818-1 for the definition of private sections.

As defined in that standard, private data may be sent in transport stream
packets with PID not listed in the Program Map Table sections.

Therefore, Multiplex Diagnostic Tables shall be carried on PID 0x1FFD using the
normal payload unit start indicator/pointer field mechanism described in the
standard ISO/IEC 13818-1. This PID shall not be used for any other purpose on
the ASTRA Satellite network. A MDT must be inserted in maximum one Transport
Stream Packet resulting in a maximum table size of 184 bytes.

multiplex diagnostic section (  )[
     table id                             8       uimsbf
     section syntax indicator             1       bslbf
     SES reserved                         1       bslbf
     ISO reserved                         2       bslbf
     section length                      12       uimsbf
     transport stream id                 16       uimsbf
     original network id                 16       uimsbf
     MDT version number                   4       uimsbf
     Fault source                        12       uimsbf
     Fault type                          16       uimsbf
     for (l=0;i<N;i++)[
             Fault major                 16       uimsbf
             Fault minor                 16       uimsbf

     ]

TABLE ID = 0XB0

SECTION SYNTAX INDICATOR = 0

SES RESERVED = 1

SECTION LENGTH: This is a 12 bit field, the first two bits of which shall be
"00". It specified the number of bytes of the section, starting immediately
following the section length field. The section length shall not exceed
181 bytes so that the entire section has a maximum length of 184 bytes.

TRANSPORT STREAM ID: This is a 16 fit field which serves as a label to identify
the transport stream where the error or warning has occurred.



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<PAGE>   73
ORIGINAL NETWORK ID: This 16 bit field gives the label identifying the
net work id of the originating delivery system of the transport stream where the
error or warning has occurred.

MDT VERSION NUMBER: This 4 bit field identifies the version number of the MDT
structure. Currently, the MDT version number shall be set to "0".

FAULT SOURCE: This is a code that, together with the transport stream id and the
original network id, identifies the origin of the failure. Fault source values
can be defined by the operator of the transport stream within the ranges defined
in Table 1.

FAULT TYPE: This 16 bit field identifies the basic type of errors or warnings.
Only values described in Table 2 are defined. In every MDT section only one
Fault type shall be listed resulting in only one basic type of error or warning
per MDT.

FAULT MAJOR: This 16 bit field provides more detailed information about the
errors or warnings as defined by the Fault type. Depending on the value of the
Fault type, the Fault major has different meanings. Currently, only the values
given in Table 4 and 5 are defined. If for a Fault type no Fault major code is
defined, the loop within the MDT shall be empty. If for a Fault type several
Fault major codes are defined the loop may contain more than one of these codes.
In case of missing components of a service (Fault type = 0x0100) the Fault major
code is equal to the service id of this service.

FAULT MINOR: This field provides additional information about the error or
warning as described by the combination of Fault type and Fault major. If no
Fault minor code is defined for a Fault major code, the Fault minor field shall
be present and all bits shall be set to "1". For the time being Fault minor is
only defined for Fault type = 0x0100 (Component of service missing) as described
in Table 3. In that case the service id of the service comprising the missing
component is defined in the Fault major field and the missing component is
defined in the Fault minor field.


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<PAGE>   74
TABLE 1: FAULT SOURCE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                FAULT SOURCE RANGE              DESCRIPTION
                ------------------              -----------
                <S>                             <C>
                0x0000                          Undefined
                0x0001,...,0x0064               SI-editing & controller
                0x0065,...,0x01F4               Audio encoder
                0x01F5,...,0x0226               Video encoder
                0x0227,...,0x03B6               Data inserter
                0x03B7,...,0x03E8               CA system
                0x03E9,...,0x041A               Multiplexer
                0x041B,...,0x044C               Re-multiplexer
                0x044D,...,0x047E               Modulator
                0x047F,...,0x060E               Decoder
                0x060F,...,0x0640               Network termination
                0x0641,...,0x0A00               ASTRA reserved
                0x0A01,...,0x0FFF               User defined
</TABLE>

TABLE 2: FAULT TYPE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                FAULT TYPE                      DESCRIPTION
                ----------                      -----------
                <S>                             <C>
                0x0000                          Undefined
                0x0001                          NIT missing
                0x0002                          SDT missing
                0x0004                          EIT missing
                0x0008                          TDT missing
                0x0009                          PAT missing
                0x000A                          CAT missing
                0x0100                          Component of service missing
                Other fault type <= 0x0800      ASTRA reserved
                Fault type > 0x0800             User defined
</TABLE>


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<PAGE>   75
TABLE 3: FAULT MINOR CODES FOR FAULT TYPE VALUE = 0x0100 (COMPONENT MISSING)
(Fault major specifies the service id of the service with missing components.)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                Fault minor
          if Fault type = 0x0100                       DESCRIPTION
          ----------------------             -------------------------------
          <S>                                <C>
                  0x0001                        Video component missing
                  0x0002                        Audio component missing
                  0x0004                     EBU Teletext subtitles missing
                  0x0008                     Associated EBU Teletext missing
                  0x0010                         Data component missing
                  0x0020                         DVB subtitling missing
                  0x0040                               PMT missing
               Other values                           ASTRA reserved
</TABLE>


TABLE 4: FAULT MAJOR CODES FOR FAULT TYPE VALUE = 0x0002 (SDT MISSING)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                Fault major
    if Fault type = 0x0002 (SDT missing)                   DESCRIPTION
    ------------------------------------               ------------------
    <S>                                                <C>
                  0x0001                               DVB-SI SDT missing
                Other values                             ASTRA reserved
</TABLE>

TABLE 5: FAULT MAJOR CODES FOR FAULT TYPE VALUE = 0x0004 (EIT MISSING)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                Fault major
    if Fault type = 0x0004 (EIT missing)                   DESCRIPTION
    ------------------------------------               ------------------
    <S>                                                <C>
                  0x0001                               DVB-SI EIT missing
                Other values                             ASTRA reserved
</TABLE>




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                                       42



<PAGE>   76







                                  [ASTRA LOGO]







                           ASTRA SERVICE INFORMATION
                                 UPDATE SYSTEM
                                    (ASIUS)




                             TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION





SES-ASIUS                                                          CONFIDENTIAL
SYE-045/12-96

06 DECEMBER 1996

                                                                              0


<PAGE>   77

                               TABLE OF CONTENTS


<TABLE>
<C>  <S>                                                                     <C>
1    INTRODUCTION..........................................................   2

2    CONCEPT OF THE ASTRA SERVICE INFORMATION UPDATE SYSTEM................   2

3    FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OF ASIUS..........................................   5

     3.1  SI Data Structures considered by ASIUS...........................   5

          3.1.1  Network Information Table (NIT)...........................   5

          3.1.2  Service Description Table (SDT)...........................   5

          3.1.3  Multiplex Diagnostic Table (MDT)..........................   9

     3.2  SI Data Acquisition..............................................   9

     3.3  SI Data Processing...............................................  10

     3.4  SI Data Distribution.............................................  10

4    GLOSSARY..............................................................  12

5    REFERENCES............................................................  13

     ANNEX 1...............................................................  14

</TABLE>








SES - ASIUS                                                         CONFIDENTIAL
SYE-045/12-6

06 DECEMBER 1996

                                                                              1


<PAGE>   78
1    INTRODUCTION

Service information (SI) systems for Digital Video Broadcast are considered by
broadcasters and also by network operators as one of the crucial elements in
digital transmission of video, audio and data signals. With the plethora of
services being available in the digital age, an effective means of guiding
consumers around the various services on offer is an essential pre-requisite of
any consumer oriented digital transmission and reception system. Beyond
informing about the available services, there is also a need to allow for the
quick acquisition of any service that can be received.

Based on the DVB SI specification Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES) has
developed the ASTRA Service Information Update System (ASIUS) for providing
tuning information and also for informing the digital IRDs about all services on
the ASTRA network. In addition ASIUS monitors the Service Information on all
transponders, checks the presence and the correctness of this data and provides
also diagnostics information on the consistency of the multiplexes.

2    CONCEPT OF THE ASTRA SERVICE INFORMATION UPDATE SYSTEM

The ASTRA Service Information Update System (ASIUS) is an application of the DVB
Service Information specification as standardised in ETS 300468/1/ and may serve
the Digital Satellite IRD to quickly tune to the receivable services on ASTRA.
It also enables the presentation of services and broadcasters in a convenient
way to the consumer.

This is achieved by compiling and transmitting an ASTRA Network Information
Table (ASTRA NIT) providing tuning information as well as an ASTRA Service
Description Table (ASTRA SDT) containing information about all services on all
transponders on the ASTRA network. Thus the IRD is enabled to present the names
of all services on ASTRA, the names of all corresponding broadcasters (service
providers) and the service types such as TV, Radio, Teletext or data services,
without having to tune to each transponder.

The concept for the ASIUS involves the transmission of the ASTRA NIT on each
transponder. This NIT conveys information about the physical parameters of all
multiplexes on ASTRA (frequency, symbol rate, etc.) as well as the information
about the network itself (ID, name, satellite position).

Furthermore, the concept involves the transmission of the ASTRA SDT on two ASTRA
Service Information channels (Barker Channels), one with horizontal and one with
vertical polarization.

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<PAGE>   79
As it is the objective to provide up-to-date network information and service
description data about all transponders on ASTRA, a concept for an automatic
updating of the ASTRA NIT/SDT has been developed, considering all updates from
the Betzdorf earth station as well as the remote uplinks.

The ASTRA NIT is mainly under the administration of SES (network operator)
except for parts as e.g. the Forward Error Correction (FEC) scheme which may be
adjusted by the remote uplink operators.

The multiplex specific SDTs are under the administration of the broadcasters.
ASIUS receives the SDTs transmitted on all transponders, extracts those parts
directly related to each respective transponder and compiles an ASTRA SDT with
service description information (e.g. service names, service providers,
service types) about all services on ASTRA.


                                  [FIGURE 182]


Figure 1: Transmission and updating of ASTRA NIT and SDT tables


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<PAGE>   80
The process of updating the ASTRA NIT and ASTRA SDT is illustrated in Figure 1.
The process involves the following steps:

1.   The ASTRA NIT can be received at all remote uplink sections outside
     Betzdorf and can then be inserted into the remotely uplinked multiplexes.
     The ASTRA SDT is transmitted on two transponders (one with horizontal, one
     with vertical polarization) from Betzdorf and therefore does not have to be
     received/inserted at the remote uplinks.

2.   Any remote uplink operator can at any time update the information in the
     NIT related to his remote uplink (i.e. change the FEC scheme of his
     transponder and/or add a service list descriptor) and/or the corresponding
     service description data in the SDT and insert the data into the remote
     multiplex.

3.   At Betzdorf, the NIT/SDT processing system performs the following tasks:

     a)   receive all Transport Streams of ASTRA,

     b)   extract those parts of the NITs and SDTs which have been altered by
          the remote uplinks,

     c)   compile this update information to generate new versions of the
          ASTRA NIT and SDT,

     d)   insert the updated ASTRA NIT into all multiplexes uplinked from
          Betzdorf,

     e)   insert the updated ASTRA SDT into the multiplexes carrying the
          ASTRA Service Information channels.

4.   The remote uplinks again can receive this updated ASTRA NIT and insert the
     data into the remotely uplinked multiplexes.

After step 3, a complete update process of the ASTRA NIT and ASTRA SDT is
performed. The update process is continuously repeated. Thus, all remotely
mastered updates are almost immediately available in the ASTRA NIT/SDT.

The update process for the ASTRA NIT/SDT is stable since for each part of the
data there is only one master uplink assigned which is allowed to edit updates.
Other uplinks are slaves concerning the data mastered by a specific up-link
operator and therefore only insert the received updated data into their own
remote up-link.

The interconnection between ASIUS and other equipment of the Digital Network
Operations Centre (DINO) at Betzdorf is illustrated in Figure 2.


SES-ASIUS
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<PAGE>   81
3.   FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OF ASIUS

3.1  SI DATA STRUCTURES CONSIDERED BY ASIUS

Regarding the various tables defined by MPEG-2 and by the DVB project, there are
only a few relevant for the ASIUS. These are the Network Information Table, the
Service Description Table, the Event Information Table (EIT), and the Time and
Date Table (TDT).

3.1.1 NETWORK INFORMATION TABLE (NIT)

The structure of the Network Information Table is presented in Figure 3. The
ASTRA NIT is divided in sections according to the MPEG-2 syntax. Each section
includes a loop over network related descriptors which is used for conveying the
network name descriptor and the linkage descriptors to the ASTRA Service
Information channel.

For each transport stream the NIT contains a loop over transport stream related
descriptors including the satellite delivery system descriptor with information
such as frequency, polarisation, modulation, symbol rate and FEC scheme.
Conveying an optional service list descriptor in that loop of the NIT is not
considered by ASIUS.

3.1.2 ASTRA SERVICE DESCRIPTION TABLE (SDT)

The structure of the Service Description Table is illustrated in Figure 4. The
ASTRA SDT is also divided into sections according to the MPEG-2 syntax. For each
Transport Stream at least one section with service description data is
transmitted. All SDT sections include a loop over all services on the
corresponding Transport Stream. For each service a loop of descriptors including
service descriptor and country availability descriptor is conveyed.
NVOD reference descriptor and time shifted service descriptor are also
considered by ASIUS. In order to identify the actual Transport Stream on which
Service Information is received and thus to identify the relevant SI parts that
have been updated at a remote uplink, the corresponding transports stream id can
be found in each header of a service description section for the actual
Transport Stream/1/.




SES - ASIUS
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<PAGE>   82
                                [FIGURE 185]


Figure 2: Interconnection between ASIUS and the Digital NOC

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<PAGE>   83
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

                                   NETWORK INFORMATION TABLE (NIT)
            ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               ACTUAL NETWORK                              OTHER NETWORK
            --------------------------------------------------------       -------------
            SECTION 1                     SECTION 2        SECTION 3
            ---------                     ---------        ---------
<S>                                       <C>              <C>             <C>
            network id
          section number

FOR I = 0 ... N  NETWORK DESCRIPTORS
        network name descriptor
          linkage descriptor

FOR I = 0 ... N TRANSPORT STREAMS
        transport stream id
         original network id

     FOR I = 0 ... N TRANSPORT
     DESCRIPTORS
        deliverysy stem descriptor

</TABLE>

Figure 3:  Structure of the Network Information Table

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<PAGE>   84
                    Service Description Table (SDT)

               actual transport stream                           other
                                                                transport
                                                                 stream

              transport stream 1               transport   ...
                                               stream 2

             section 1           section 2     section 3


         transport stream id
           section number
         original network id


for I = 0 ... N services

             service id
          scrambling yes/no

    for I = 0 ...N descriptors

           service descriptor
     country availability descriptor
        NVOD reference descriptor
     time shifted service descriptor




Figure 4:  Structure of the Service Description Table

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<PAGE>   85
3.1.3.  MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT)

In a digital broadcast environment with a multitude of services there is a need
for highly automated means to monitor and subsequently to provide information
(e.g. failure messages) about the availability of services as well as of service
components such as video, audio and subtitling and of Service Information
tables.

In order to support the detection of service failures, to provide information
for remedial measures and to efficiently log such events, a transport mechanism,
the Multiplex Diagnostic Table (MDT) has been defined by SES. This system is
serving for conveying diagnostic information about the consistency of all
DVB/MPEG-2 multiplexes on ASTRA to the central DINO in Betzdorf.

MDTs can be generated at any point in the transmission chain to signal missing
streams (e.g. video, audio, subtitle or accompanied data) or Service Information
components (e.g. NIT, SDT, EIT or TDT)  within a multiplex. As the underlying
concept of the MDT system is to detect and signal failures at the point where
they are generated, the system supervisor of the DVB/MPEG-2 encoding,
multiplexing and modulation equipment should monitor the correct functioning of
all equipment modules and should generate an MDT in the case a service failure
occurs for longer than 10 seconds.

MDTs shall then be periodically transmitted every 10 seconds until the failure
is fixed. In addition to faulty equipment modules also missing input streams can
be identified by subsequent modules in the transmission chain which then
generate corresponding MDTs.

This principle is applied e.g. by the special monitor IRDs of the DINO which can
not only receive and extract incoming MDTs from the multiplexes but also can
generate MDTs in case e.g. Service Information components are missing. All MDTs
are being fed via the ASIUS into the Service Availability System (SAS) of the
Digital Network Operations Centre. Upon reception of an MDT an alert is
initiated by the DINO computer system which then enables the operator to act
appropriately based on detailed transponder specific diagnostic information
provided together with the alert message.

Details about the MDT concept can be found in Annex 1.

3.2    SI DATA ACQUISITION

The ASTRA Service Information Update System in Betzdorf includes the reception
of all Transport Streams of the ASTRA Satellite System. From these Transport
Streams the relevant SI is extracted and passed over to the ASIUS processing
station. This includes the NIT for the actual network (ASTRA) and the SDT for
the actual Transport Stream. If a MDT has been received (which occurs only in
case of a failure), it will also be transferred

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<PAGE>   86
to ASIUS.

The following processing steps have been implemented in ASIUS for the SI data
acquisition:

1.   Reception of the DVB/MPEG-2 Transport Streams from all ASTRA transponders.

2.   Extraction of all transponders SI data (NIT, MDT, SDT, EIT, TDT).  By means
     of the version number mechanism provided in each section syntax, the IRD
     considers only the updated parts of this data.

3.   Transmission of all the updates from the IRDs to ASIUS.  The IRDs
     furthermore monitor the availability of the NIT, SDT, EIT and TDT (Time and
     Date Table) in each Transport Stream and shall generate a Multiplex
     Diagnostic Table and transmit it to the ASIUS processor, if a failure is
     detected.


3.3    SI DATA PROCESSING AND MONITORING

After having received an update the ASIUS compiles a new version of the ASTRA
NIT and ASTRA SDT.  Since the system has immediate access to all SI data on the
ASTRA network it monitors the presence, correctness, and also the consistency of
the SI data.  In case of an erroneous situation an alarm is triggered and the
operators in the DINO are informed.


3.4    SI DATA DISTRIBUTION

After the compilation of the received SI data by the ASIUS processor, the
updated ASTRA NIT is transmitted on all transponder uplinked from Betzdorf. The
ASTRA SDT is inserted into the two transponders which contain the ASTRA Service
Information channel.  In addition a linkage descriptor is inserted in the ASTRA
NIT, which is available on all transponders.  This descriptor points to
transport stream ids and service ids of the ASTRA Service Information channels.

If the consumer wants to have access to the ASTRA SDT and IRD will read the
linkage descriptor and tune to one of the corresponding transponders.  After the
reading of the ASTRA SDT all services available on the ASTRA Satellite System
could be displayed.  It is however assumed that certain filter mechanisms would
be applied to the data before displaying the information in a consumer friendly
way.  More details on the functionality of the ASTRA Service Information channel
are described in SES' 'Technical Recommendations for Digital IRDs'/2/.  A flow
chart of the access functionality for the ASTRA SDT is depicted in Figure 5.


SES-ASIUS                                                           CONFIDENTIAL
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<PAGE>   87
                                  [FIGURE 190]


        Figure 5: Example of the access functionality for the ASTRA SDT

SES-ASIUS
SYE-045/12-96                                                       CONFIDENTIAL

06 DECEMBER 1996


                                                                              11
<PAGE>   88
4    GLOSSARY

ASIUS  ASTRA Service Information Update System

DNO    Digital Network Operation Centre

DVB    Digital Video Broadcasting

D/H    Direct-to-Home satellite transmission

FEC    Forward Error Correction

IRD    Integrated Receiver Decoder

MDT    Multiplex Diagnostic Table

NIT    Network Information Table

NOC    Network Operation Centre

NVOD   Near-Video-On-Demand

SDT    Service Description Table

SES    Societe Europeenne des Satellites

SI     Service Information

SMATV  Satellite Master Antenna Television



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                                                        12


<PAGE>   89
5    REFERENCES

/1/  ETS 300 468 "Digital broadcasting systems for television, sound and data
     services; specification for Service Information (SI) in Digital Video
     Broadcasting (DVB) Systems"

/2/  "Technical Recommendations for Digital Integrated Receiver Decoders",
     SES













SES-ASIUS                                                          CONFIDENTIAL
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                                                                              13


<PAGE>   90
ANNEX 1

                       SOCIETE EUROPEENNE DES SATELLITES
                              TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT

                        MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT)

1    INTRODUCTION

In a digital broadcast environment with a multitude of services there is a need
for highly automated means to monitor and subsequently to provide information
(e.g. failure messages) about the availability of services as well as of service
components such as video, audio and subtitling and of Service Information
tables.

In order to support the detection of service failures, to provide information
for remedial measures and to efficiently log such events, a transport mechanism,
the Multiplex Diagnostic Table (MDT) has been defined. This system is serving
for conveying diagnostic information about the consistency of all DVB/MPEG-2
multiplexes on ASTRA to the central Digital Network Operations Centre (DINO) of
Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES).

2    FUNCTIONALITY

MDTs can be generated at any point in the transmission chain to signal missing
streams (e.g. video, audio, subtitle or accompanied data) or Service Information
components (e.g. NIT, SDT, EIT or TDT) within a multiplex. As the underlying
concept of the MDT system is to detect and signal failures at the point where
they are generated, the system supervisor of the DVB/MPEG-2 encoding,
multiplexing and modulation equipment should monitor the correct functioning of
all equipment modules and should generate an MDT in the case a service failure
occurs for longer than 10 seconds.

MDTs shall then be periodically transmitted every 10 seconds until the failure
is fixed. In addition to faulty equipment modules also missing input streams can
be identified by subsequent modules in the transmission chain which then
generate corresponding MDTs.

This principle is applied e.g. by the special monitor IRDs of the DINO which can
not only receive and extract incoming MDTs from the multiplexes but also can
generate MDTs in the case e.g. Service Information components are missing. All
MDTs are being fed via the ASTRA Service Information Update System (ASIUS) into
the Service Availability System (SAS) of the Digital Network Operations Centre.
Upon reception of an MDT an alert is initiated by the DINO computer system which
then enables the operator to act

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<PAGE>   91
appropriately based on detailed transponder specific diagnostic information
provided together with the alert message.

3     SYNTAX OF THE MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC TABLE (MDT)

The syntax of the MDT is conforming to the one defined in the standard ISO/IEC
13818-1 for the definition of private sections.

As defined in that standard, private data may be sent in Transport Stream
packets with PID not listed in the Program Map Table sections.

Therefore, Multiplex Diagnostic Tables shall be carried on PID 0x1FFD using the
normal payload unit start indicator/pointer field mechanism described in the
standard ISO/IEC 13818-1. This PID shall not be used for any other purpose on
the ASTRA Satellite Network. A MDT must be inserted in maximum one Transport
Stream Packet resulting in a maximum table size of 184 bytes.

<TABLE>
<S>                                       <C>
multiplex diagnostic section(){
     table id                             8 uimsbf
     section syntax indicator             1 bslbf
     SES reserved                         1 bslbf
     ISO reserved                         2 bslbf
     section length                      12 uimsbf
     transport stream id                 16 uimsbf
     original network id                 16 uimsbf
     MDT version number                   4 uimsbf
     Fault source                        12 uimsbf
     Fault type                          16 uimsbf
     for (I=0<N;i++){
         Fault major                     16 uimsbf
         Fault minor                     16 uimsbf
     }
</TABLE>

TABLE ID = 0XB0

SECTION SYNTAX INDICATOR = 0

SES RESERVED = 1

SECTION LENGTH: This is a 12 bit field, the first two bits of which shall be
"00". It specifies the number of bytes of the section, starting immediately
following the section length field. The section length shall not exceed 181
bytes so that the entire section has a maximum length of 184 bytes.

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<PAGE>   92
TRANSPORT STREAM ID: This is a 16 bit field which serves as a label to identify
the Transport Stream where the error or warning has occurred.

ORIGINAL NETWORK ID: This 16 bit field gives the label identifying the
network id of the originating delivery system of the Transport Stream where the
error or warning has occurred.

MDT VERSION NUMBER: This 4 bit field identifies the version number of the MDT
structure. Currently, the MDT version number shall be set to "0".

FAULT SOURCE: This is a code that, together with the transport stream id and the
original network id, identifies the origin of the failure. Fault source values
can be defined by the operator of the Transport Stream within the ranges defined
in Table 1.

FAULT TYPE: This 16 bit field identifies the basic type of errors or warnings.
Only values described in Table 2 are defined. In every MDT section only one
Fault type shall be listed resulting in only one basic type of error or warning
per MDT.

FAULT MAJOR: This 16 bit field provides more detailed information about the
errors or warnings as defined by the Fault type. Depending on the value of the
Fault type. the Fault major has different meanings. Currently, only the values
given in Table 4 and 5 are defined. If for a Fault type no Fault major code is
defined, the loop within the MDT shall be empty. If for a Fault type several
Fault major codes are defined the loop may contain more than one of these codes.
In case of missing components of a service (Fault type = 0x0100) the Fault major
code is equal to the service id of this service.

FAULT MINOR: This field provides additional information about the error or
warning as described by the combination of Fault type and Fault major. If no
Fault minor code is defined for a Fault major code, the Fault minor field shall
be present and all bits shall be set to "1". For the time being Fault minor is
only defined for Fault type = 0x0100 (Component of service missing) as
described in Table 3. In that case the service id of the service comprising the
missing component is defined in the Fault major field and the missing component
is defined in the Fault minor field.



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<PAGE>   93
TABLE 1: FAULT SOURCE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
        Fault source range                   Description
        ------------------                   -----------
        <S>                             <C>
        0x0000 .......................         Undefined
        0x0001,...,0x0064 ............  SI-editing & controller
        0x0065,...,0x01F4 ............       Audio encoder
        0x01F5,...,0x0226 ............       Video encoder
        0x0227,...,0x03B6 ............       Data inserter
        0x03B7,...,0x03E8 ............         CA system
        0x03E9,...,0x041A ............        Multiplexer
        0x041B,...,0x044C ............       Re-multiplexer
        0x044D,...,0x047E ............          Modulator
        0x047F,...,0x060E ............           Decoder
        0x060F,...,0x0640 ............     Network termination
        0x0641,...,0x0A00 ............        ASTRA reserved
        0x0A01,...,0x0FFF ............         User defined
</TABLE>





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<PAGE>   94

TABLE 2: FAULT TYPE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
        Fault type
if Fault type = 0x0100                          Description
- ----------------------                          -----------
<S>                                    <C>
          0x0000                                 Undefined
          0x0001                                NIT missing
          0x0002                                SDT missing
          0x0004                                EIT missing
          0x0008                                TDT missing
          0x0009                                PAT missing
          0x000A                                CAT missing
          0x0100                       Component of service missing
Other fault type <= 0x0800                     ASTRA reserved
    Fault type > 0x0800                         User defined
</TABLE>


TABLE 3: FAULT MINOR CODES FOR FAULT TYPE VALUE = 0x0100 (COMPONENT MISSING)
(Fault major specifies the service id of the service with missing components.)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
        Fault minor                             Description
        -----------                             -----------
<S>                                    <C>
          0x0001                           Video component missing
          0x0002                           Audio component missing
          0x0004                       EBU Teletext subtitles missing
          0x0008                       Associated EBU Teletext missing
          0x0010                           Data component missing
          0x0020                           DVB subtitling missing
          0x0040                                 PMT missing
       Other values                            ASTRA reserved
</TABLE>



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<PAGE>   95
TABLE 4: FAULT MAJOR CODES FOR FAULT TYPE VALUE = 0x0002 (SDT MISSING)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                Fault major
    if Fault type = 0x0002 (SDT missing)                   Description
    ------------------------------------               ------------------
    <S>                                                <C>
                  0x0001                               DVB-SI SDT missing
                Other values                             ASTRA reserves
</TABLE>

TABLE 5: FAULT MAJOR CODES FOR FAULT TYPE VALUE = 0x0004 (EIT MISSING)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                Fault major
    if Fault type = 0x0004 (EIT missing)                   Description
    ------------------------------------               ------------------
    <S>                                                <C>
                  0x0001                               DVB-SI EIT missing
                Other values                             ASTRA reserved
</TABLE>


        The information and data contained herein are subject to change.



                     Societe Europeenne des Satellites S.A.
                     L-6815 Chateau de Betzdorf, Luxembourg
                Tel.: (352) 71 07 25-1, Fax: (352) 71 07 25-548



SES-ASIUS                                                          CONFIDENTIAL
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