Advanced Television

DTH/Satellite

EchoStar avoids financial default

EchoStar’s Dish pay-TV subsidiary has made its contracted interest payments, worth $114 million, to its lenders, and thus has avoided a potential default. The payments were due on July 1st and believed to have been made on July 30th and just within the 30-day limit. EchoStar will issue its quarterly results tomorrow (Friday, August 1st) […]

July 31, 2025By Chris Forrester

Study: Space economy worth $600bn+

A study from The Space Foundation says that the global space economy is now worth more than $600 billion (€510bn) with the study saying there is – and has been – a rapid evolution in the space economy. Space spending from more than 50 nations has been analysed to assess how nations and regions are […]

July 24, 2025

wedotv, tivùsat distribution deal

wedotv, the global ad-supported streaming TV network, and Italian digital TV platform tivùsat have expanded their channel distribution partnership to include wedotv’s FAST channel wedotv BIG stories. The platform, which serves all of Italy, Vatican City, and San Marino, is also moving up the EPG slot for wedotv movies for increased visibility. The announcement was made […]

July 23, 2025

EU ‘sanctions’ Russian transmission business

The European Union has sanctioned RTRS, the Russian digital television transmission company, but not RSCC, the state-owned satellite company, which is doing exactly the same thing, claims Andre Lange, who heads up the influential Denis Diderot Committee. In a press release, the European Council announced that the list of new propagandists and entities sanctioned by […]

July 21, 2025

Advertising, subs growth boost Italian TV

Italy’s media sector generated over €12 billion in revenue last year, a 4 per cent increase from 2023, according to the annual report of the Communications Authority (AgCom). Television accounted for the majority, contributing 72.8 per cent of the total (€8.8 billion), reflecting a 7.3 per cent growth. This growth was primarily driven by advertising […]

July 21, 2025From Branislav Pekic in Rome

SES closes Intelsat acquisition

SES has announced the completion of its acquisition of Intelsat, creating a strengthened global satellite operator with an expanded fleet of 120 satellites across two orbits. SES says the newly combined company will “leverage its skilled teams with deep vertical expertise to deliver integrated multi-orbit, multi-band satellite and connectivity solutions to businesses and governments around […]

July 17, 2025By Chris Forrester

FCC approves Intelsat sale to SES

July 11th saw the clearest indication that the long wait for SES to receive its permissions to acquire rival Intelsat is coming to an end, with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) giving its approval to the transfer “of the control of licenses from Intelsat to SES”. This, in effect, ends the FCC’s oversight of the […]

July 14, 2025By Chris Forrester

Switzerland: Eutelsat renews partnership with SRG SSR

Eutelsat and Swiss broadcasting corporation SSR SRG have announced the multi-year renewal of their capacity agreement at Eutelsat’s HOTBIRD video neighbourhood. The partnership has already spanned over 30 years. This new agreement assures the broadcast continuity of SSR SSG Group’s HD television channels and radio stations to audiences across Switzerland who are living beyond the […]

July 1, 2025

EchoStar avoids Chapter 11

Charlie Ergen, founder and chairman of the EchoStar/DISH combination, is reported to be negotiating with some of the company’s bond and debt-holders for extensions to its debt payment obligations. However, some debt interest payment obligations have – or are about to be – met. But there are still challenges. For example, the FCC is pushing […]

June 30, 2025By Chris Forrester

RTL to acquire Sky Deutschland

Sky Europe is to sell its Sky Deutschland operation. RTL will acquire the German-language pay-TV operation which includes subscribers in Austria and Switzerland as well as Germany itself. RTL is paying an initial €150 million “with additional variable consideration linked to future value creation”. The end result for RTL will be an audience of 11.5 […]

June 27, 2025By Chris Forrester