Chris Forrester is one of the most experienced and highly regarded journalists in the field. His insight and analysis, particularly in the satellite and pay-TV arena, is highly prized. He has written for all the major business journals in the sector as well as several national newspapers.
November is proving to be a challenging month for London-based satellite giant Inmarsat. On October 20th its share price stood at £6.23. Go back a little to August 21st and a share was worth £7.31. By November 17th that value had plummeted to £4.94 – a 5-year “low”. The collapse was down to a general […]
Intelsat wants to modify how its C-band frequencies are used over the US. It has in mind using bandwidth over metropolitan areas for 5G activity. Intelsat (and Intel) has submitted proposals to the FCC. SES, which also has potentially extremely valuable C-band frequencies over the US (because of its acquisition of the ‘Americom’ fleet of […]
In what must be considered a case of “me too”, the market has treated London-based satellite operator Inmarsat with a marked downgrade following its profit warning. Inmarsat’s share price has crashed over the past ten days from about 600p to 497p on November 15th. Indeed, the Inmarsat results follow on from similar poor results from […]
A new space port built on one of the Scottish Shetland Isles could make an ideal location for launching certain types of satellite, according to a report from the UK Space Agency. The Agency is currently involved in a series of ‘roadshows’ (LaunchUK) and public open evenings to explain the concept. The Agency says new […]
Just over 12 months from now, on November 18th 2018, it will be Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday. Christine McCarthy, CFO at The Walt Disney Company, speaking during the company’s results conference call last week, told analysts that they had better mark their calendars for the date. “Mickey’s 90th is something that the entire company’s going […]
The November 9th analysts’ results telephone conference with DISH Network’s senior executives seemed more focused on founder Charlie Ergen’s views on the prospects for connectivity. He explained that DISH now had a “second opportunity” to build on the DTH business that started in 1992. Ergen was asked to comment on his thinking and potential strategy […]
The world’s ‘Big Three’ satellite operators (SES, Intelsat and Eutelsat) are all under pressure with their revenues and profit margins squeezed and anxieties over their ability to continue to stay relevant in a world where threats from broadband and data incomes threatened by a highly competitive market. SES has suffered badly, with a further 2.3 […]
The slew of “detained” senior Saudi Arabian officials named in a November 4th crackdown on alleged corruption contains many very well-known names in Arabic broadcasting. The news emerged via an official Saudi decree. The most senior media player of those named is Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the billionaire behind Kingdom Holdings, and what is claimed […]
Another negative report on satellite operator SES has emerged from investment bank Berenberg. The bank downgraded its advice to investors from “Buy” to “Hold”, saying a combination of delayed satellite launches, satellite health issues and the termination of low-value added contracts means that – in the bank’s view – SES will not deliver meaningful growth […]
A comprehensive report from investment bank Exane/BNPP on the Future of UK TV presents a list of topics that make worrying reading for British commercial and pay-TV broadcasting. The bank’s report finds that (especially among younger consumers): TV continues to lose share of audience to online; and OTT providers are set to maintain strong growth. […]
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