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.

Scotland’s Orbex seeks rocket launch licence

Orbex, based at Sutherland’s Space Hub, says it has made a successful submission for its launch licence to the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). “Orbex has already successfully completed pre-application meetings with the CAA, the UK’s new space regulator. It has now progressed to the application stage, becoming one of the first UK launch operators […]

February 4, 2022

SES vs Intelsat: Judge defers witness statement

Judge Keith Phillips, who is supervising Intelsat’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy exit as well as on-going litigation between SES and Intelsat over the division of the FCC’s C-band incentive payments, issued some key rulings in court on February 2nd. Phillips ruled that James Murray could be called as a witness on behalf of Intelsat and would […]

February 3, 2022

SES vs Intelsat 50/50 claim gets to court

February 2nd will see Intelsat’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy court hear the final pre-trial Motions and applications in the action whereby SES is seeking a 50/50 division of the FCC’s C-band incentive payments. Top of the list is the SES expedited hearing Motion to exclude the testimony of a proposed Intelsat expert witness (James Murray) who […]

February 1, 2022

Intelsat hits back in 50/50 action with SES

Earlier this week, SES requested that Intelsat’s bankruptcy court forbid Intelsat calling James Murray to provide expert evidence as part of the SES vs Intelsat 50/50 claim over the FCC’s C-band incentive payments. Intelsat has now filed its own Motion, and it pulls no punches. Intelsat’s lawyers in a 2-page objection states bluntly: “If SES’s […]

January 28, 2022

Intelsat’s advisors have bills trimmed

Intelsat’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy reconstruction has seen the court-appointed Fee Examiner look at every invoice submitted during the three-month period of June 1st-August 31st 2021 by Intelsat’s various professional advisers and advisors to Intelsat’s shareholders and other key parties. The Examiner has trimmed just about every monthly/quarterly billing summary. The Examiner’s work is routine although […]

January 27, 2022

SES cries foul over Intelsat late evidence

In the SES vs Intelsat court case, due to start on February 7th, Intelsat is looking to introduce evidence from James Murray, an acknowledged expert in telecommunications and competitive intelligence and currently working for PJT Partners. The problem is that Murray comes extremely late to the action. Intelsat’s bankruptcy Court ruled initially in June last […]

January 26, 2022

Arianespace “fully reusable by 2030”

ArianeGroup Chief Executive André-Hubert Roussel has said the Ariane family of rocket launchers would be fully reusable starting by the end of this decade. His comments follow on from French Economics Minister Bruno Le Maire who has been highly critical of the Arianespace’s current use of non-reusable rockets, including the giant Ariane 5 and smaller […]

January 25, 2022

Who will spend the FCC cash?

Between now and the end of 2023, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will pay out almost $10 billion (€8.8bn) in ‘accelerated clearance payments’. The FCC cash rewards the world’s four largest satellite operators for freeing up some of their C-band spectrum over the US. The question now is whether this windfall cash will be spent, […]

January 20, 2022

Would SES/Intelsat merger make sense?

The FT reports that as Intelsat emerges from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reconstruction the satellite operator will lose its CEO Steve Spengler (who will leave with a pay-out of at least $4 million) but could also find itself open to a takeover. SES is mentioned as a potential buyer. The FT quotes analyst Armand Musey, […]

January 19, 2022

Dish and DirecTV: What about the satellites?

At the moment, any merger plan between Dish Network and AT&T’s DirecTV is just behind the scenes talk. But it could happen, and if so, how would the pair start saving cash? The usual synergy promises will trim head-count and the marketing and advertising budgets would be trimmed. But what about those orbital assets? The […]

January 18, 2022