SES Satellite Monitor Conference
SES, a world-leading satellite operator and the first to deliver a differentiated and scalable GEO-MEO offering worldwide, with more than 50 satellites in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) and 16 in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), held a press conference on 12 June at The Biltmore hotel in Tbilisi.
SES focuses on value-added, end-to-end solutions in two key business units: SES Video and SES Networks. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators, governments and institutions. SES’s portfolio includes ASTRA, O3b and MX1, a leading media service provider that offers a full suite of innovative digital video and media services. SES is listed on the Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange (ticker: SESG).
The number of video households served by SES has continued to increase, reaching 351 million TV homes in 2017 according to SES’s annual market research, Satellite Monitor. This substantial technical reach, compared with 325 million households in 2016, means that SES is now delivering video content to more than 1 billion global viewers.
The Satellite Monitor study, conducted for the first time in Georgia in 2015 and providing insights into the Georgian TV market, reveals that SES has increased its reach to 562,000 TV homes in the country, which includes direct reach (DTH), and indirect reach (cable and IPTV).
This represents 24% growth compared to last year. SES provides services to approximately 132,000 homes that are subscribed to the MagtiSat TV offers, up from 124 000 homes last year. In addition, the study shows that SES serves 34% of satellite HDTV homes in Georgia.
The SES Satellite Monitor YE2017 results show that satellite is by far the leading TV reception mode in Georgia, reaching 44% of TV homes directly, or over 480,000 DTH homes. This compares with 15%, 16% and 25% for cable, terrestrial and IPTV reception modes respectively.
After the digital switch-over which took place in June 2015, analogue TV signals have been rapidly replaced by digital. The survey shows that only 12 000 Georgian TV homes remain with analogue cable TV reception mode, compared to 50,000 homes last year. The results of the study also indicate a growing uptake of HD and UHD, as 48% of homes own an HD or UHD TV set in YE2017, which compares to 38% in YE2016.
The Satellite Monitor shows that Europe continues to be a strong and resilient market where satellite broadcasting is a highly attractive platform for reliable and cost-effective video delivery to large audiences. SES now reaches 167 million TV homes in Europe, up from 156 million in2016. This growth is mainly driven by the addition of Turkey and in the Maghreb countries, which together represent an increase of 10 million TV homes. Technical reach across the core markets in Europe was stable.
The study also shows the key role of SES in delivering HD content: today, SES delivers HD content to 107 million homes, which represents two thirds of all European TV homes enjoying HD. As the leading HD platform, SES carries 2,602 HD channels worldwide, out of 7,709 channels in total. In Europe, SES delivers 2,670 TV channels, including 798 in HD.
“With its high percentage of TV homes (97.4%), Georgia is an important developing market for us. We believe that satellite is an optimal TV reception mode in the country with its numerous remote areas. The Satellite Monitor results demonstrate once again that satellite is the central pillar of the Georgian digital broadcasting infrastructure,” said Håkan Sjödin, Vice President,
By Shawn Wayne