Orbital Sciences Corporation today reported its fourth quarter and full year 2012 financial results.  Fourth quarter 2012 revenues were $354.6 million, up 6% compared to $335.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2011.  Fourth quarter 2012 operating income was $31.3 million, an increase of 41% compared to $22.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2011.  

DirecTV reported on Thursday an increase in fourth quarter net income by 31% to $942 million mainly due to addition of  761,000 new subscribers mostly from Latin America.

The satellite TV giant said fourth quarter 2012 revenues rose by 8% to $8.05 billion, operating profit before depreciation and amortization increased by 8% to $1.92 billion, and operating profit rose by 7% to $1.30 billion compared to last year's fourth quarter.

GE announced today the sale of its remaining 49% common equity interest in its joint venture with Comcast, which includes NBCUniversal (NBCU), as well as the NBCU floors in 30 Rockefeller Center, for $18.1 billion.

“By adding significant new capital to our balanced capital allocation plan, we can accelerate our share buyback plans while investing in growth in our core businesses.”

Globecomm Systems, Inc. reported a 3.2% decline in revenues to $160.9 million for fiscal 2013 six months ended December 31, 2012 compared to $166.2 million in the same period last year.

Globecomm said net income was $6.5 million or $0.28 of diluted net income per common share compared to net income of $18.6 million or $0.82 of diluted net income per common share in the same period last year.

ViaSat Inc. announced financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2013. The fiscal third quarter results included new contract awards of US$ 265.7 million and another record revenues quarter of . Operating performance grew quarter over quarter reflecting Adjusted EBITDA of US $48.4 milllion and net income attributable to common stockholders of $0.04 per share on a non-GAAP diluted basis.

Liberty Global is set to acquire UK-based Virgin Media in a stock and cash merger valued at about US$ 23.3 billion creating one of the world’s leading broadband communications company covering 47 million homes and serving 25 million customers across 14 countries.

When writing under a leaden winter UK sky during January the subject of CABSAT in the rather warmer month of March in the UAE is a very easy one to turn to, and indeed there’s much on the critical agenda on which to be informed. Thus, this year GVF has a very busy CABSAT week, focused on both the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Center (DICEC) and the GVF/MenaNets Training Facility in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone.

Espial® Group Inc. a provider of  on-demand TV software and solutions, today announced that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of ANT plc ("ANT"). After initially entering into a co-operation agreement with ANT on Nov. 30, 2012, Espial has purchased all of the outstanding shares of ANT in exchange for all cash consideration of £0.205 per outstanding share. The acquisition values the issued ordinary share capital of ANT at approximately £5 million.

It is a bad time to sell satellite ground segment, aka a teleport.  But it is a great time to sell a successful satellite services business with a teleport at its core. That paradox is the conclusion of Best Practices in Teleport Valuation, a newly published report from the World Teleport Association.

Today, leaders in the Latin American pay-TV industry are joining forces to create the Alianza Contra la Piratería de Televisión Paga (Alliance Against Pay-TV Piracy). The Alianza’s mission is to combat a form of piracy known in the industry as FTA piracy. FTA piracy involves the illegal use of “free-to-air” satellite receivers to decrypt pay television audiovisual signals, illegally and without authorization. The Alianza brings together most of the major players in the pay-TV industry and creates a framework for broader industry collaboration in the fight against FTA piracy.