Advanced Television

Inside Satellite

Chris Forrester

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.

Eutelsat hit by ratings downgrade

Moody’s Investors Services has downgraded Eutelsat’s credit and debt rating, and cautions that further downgrades could be applicable once Eutelsat completes its merger with OneWeb. The June 15th downgrade is to Ba1 from Bss3, and covers the ratings on Eutelsat’s senior unsecured debt instrument ratings issued by Eutelsat SA, including the €800 million and €600 […]

June 15, 2023

Bank: SES shares at all-time low

The news that Steve Collar, SES’s CEO, is stepping down sent the satellite operator’s shares into near-meltdown. Over the past 5 days the SES share-price has fallen 14.70 percent, including a further 1.55 per cent on June 13th to an ‘all-time low’ of just €4.70. Confidence in SES seems to have evaporated. A report from […]

June 14, 2023

Rivada facing tough challenges

Rivada Space Networks is planning an initial 300 craft fleet of low Earth orbiting satellites. It is facing a demanding series of key dates get the constellation into space. Now, however, it is facing a tough demand from a US court ruling. A New York judge has ordered Irish entrepreneur and the firm’s major backer […]

June 13, 2023

Collar departure: “Hard to see a positive read”

The normal transition for any departing CEO at a major quoted company is well established. Weeks – and sometimes months – of advanced notice are given to shareholders and the market of an impending change in leadership. That has not happened in the case of Steve Collar, the suddenly outgoing CEO at SES. Collar will […]

June 12, 2023

Dish, DirecTV keen to merge?

Charlie Ergen, the founder and billionaire owner of US pay-TV broadcaster Dish Network, has talked for a couple of years about the “inevitability” of merging with arch-rival DirecTV. Both are losing subscribers at a worrying rate, and common sense suggests that a merger is the only route to saving cash, exploiting synergies and reducing the […]

June 11, 2023

Boeing accused of technology theft

Boeing’s aerospace division is being sued for alleged theft of IP concerning the counterfeiting of highly specialised tools used on NASA projects. The action comes from Colorado-based Wilson Aerospace which is suing Boeing over what Wilson alleges is its ‘Fluid Fitting Torque Device-3’ developed by Wilson, and which Boeing used to attach four main engines […]

June 8, 2023

Analyst: Satellite DTD market worth billions

Analysts at Quilty Space say they estimate the satellite direct-to-device (DTD) market holds the promise of burgeoning into a multibillion-dollar industry. “It comes as no surprise that in the race to equip unmodified smartphones with satellite connectivity, various players are jockeying for position. Who crosses the finish line first, or even who stays in the […]

June 5, 2023

Bank: Rocket Lab value boosted by Virgin Orbit assets

California-based Rocket Lab made headlines a week ago when it bought some key assets from bankrupt Virgin Orbit. Rocket Lab has been awarded Virgin’s 144,000-square-foot Long Beach, California–based manufacturing facility for $16.1 million. That news, plus a fresh launch contract, has given the business a significant lift in its implied value. Analysts from investment bank […]

June 1, 2023

Analyst: “TV Industry consolidation inevitable”

Analysts at SVB MoffettNathanson (MN) recently held their first Media & Internet TMT Conference with a heavyweight portfolio of expert speakers. The consensus was that the broadcasting industry were “relatively optimistic” for advertising demand in the CTV, AVoD and sports-led linear segments. However, speakers were asked about the impact from some network programmers who ‘cheat’ […]

May 31, 2023

Intelsat: ‘Insider trading’ appeal lodged

The Intelsat Class Action into alleged insider trading, which had earlier been dismissed by a District Court judge on April 26th, has seen an appeal lodged. The case revolves around alleged insider trading over the sale of Intelsat shares by certain shareholders including the then chairman Dave McGlade. The sale allegedly took place ahead of […]

May 30, 2023