SES held its annual ‘investors day’ in London, June 28th, although some investors seemingly took a less than optimistic view of the satellite operator’s prospects. Some negative comments prompted a fall in SES’ share price of some 3 per cent, down from €21.88 to €21.50 on the day. But it might be that the market […]
The TV market in Africa/the Middle East will grow by 30 per cent between 2016 and 2021, going from €10.3 billion to €13.3 billion, according to a report from IDATE. This momentum, which is driven largely by sub-Saharan Africa, represents the world’s fastest-growing TV market, not only today but also for the five years to […]
Eighty consecutive successes for rocket launch company Arianespace is a unique record, and the June 28th launch of two satellites helped cement that achievement with a flawless launch (Flight 238). The two satellites included GSAT-17, a communications satellite for India, and a so-called condominium joint-venture satellite for the Arabsat-owned HellasSat-3 which shares a satellite with […]
SES has made satellite history by contracting for the world’s first ‘satellite life extension’ craft. MDA subsidiary Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) is the builder, and the space vehicle will very much focus on refueling of existing orbital satellites. The project should launch in 2021. SES will be the first commercial customer to benefit from the satellite […]
For most major satellite operators their carriage of DTH signals is the foundation of their revenues. But those revenues – in most mature markets – are flat and under pressure. The main reason is that improved data compression ratios have meant that broadcasters can transmit more channels in the same bandwidth. A study from Northern […]
SpaceX is looking to launch Intelsat’s giant I-35e satellite into orbit this coming Sunday, July 2nd. It will be the third launch for the rocket company in 9 days, a spectacular achievement and a record for the industry. It had been assumed that last week’s slightly delayed June 23rd launch of BulgariaSat-1 would mean inevitable […]
Sky is dumping numbered sports channels to be replaced with themed stations for specific sports beginning with football, golf and cricket. It hopes the move will stem falling sport ratings as it rebrands and introduces a cheaper package from £18 (€20). In addition to the dedicated channels a new channel, Sky Sports Arena, will host […]
Satellite operator SES says it has completely restored service for all of its clients who used its AMC-9 satellite. Communications with the satellite were lost on June 17th, but SES says the majority of its customers, including in-flight communications specialists Gogo, were speedily re-housed on alternate satellites by the following evening, June 18th. However, SES […]
When the proposed merger between giant satellite operator Intelsat and newcomer OneWeb – and financed in large part by Japanese media conglomerate SoftBank- hit some stormy waters, many observers spoke about Intelsat’s Plan B, as to what it might do should the merger unravel. Intelsat’s SVP/Sales & Marketing, Kurt Riegelman, speaking to trade magazine Via […]
OneWeb Satellites has inaugurated its assembly line in Toulouse, the beating heart of Airbus’s manufacturing expertise, to begin end-to-end validation, testing, and integration of its first satellites set for launch in just over nine months. OneWeb Satellites is a joint venture between OneWeb, a global communications company whose mission is to provide affordable Internet access […]