News Analysis

Report Finds Gaps in Multiplatform TV Delivery Capability at US Broadcasters

New York, NY, May 24, 2011--The rapid growth in the delivery of content for viewing on mobile and Internet-connected devices is outstripping the pace at which broadcasters have deployed the workflow and quality control systems needed to effectively support these opportunities. This conclusion is part of the study, "U.S. TV Stations Infrastructure: The HD Transition Has Just Begun,"  released by Positive Flux, a firm that specializes in transforming media companies to address new opportunities.

Entertainment Media Spending in North America and Europe on the Rise

El Segundo, Calif., May 19, 2011--Consumer expenditures on entertainment media in North America and Europe grew a mighty 69 percent to $234.8 billion in 2010, up from $138.8 billion in 2000, with cable and satellite television retaining its primacy as the leading form of entertainment media during the decade, according to IHS Screen Digest research.

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Delivering Cloud Services by Satellite

by Bruce Elbert

Los Angeles, May 6, 2011--According to Research and Markets Cloud Computing Services reached almost US$ 38 Billion in revenues last year. Will satellite service providers get a slice of this important market?

 

What do Customers Think?

by Robert Bell

New York, NY, May 5, 2011--The public sharing of consumer reviews has become a worldwide phenomenon. Only when it comes to satellite communications, not so much. That is why the World Teleport Association published Satellite Operator Benchmarks 2011.

Electronic Warfare Linked Up With Space Communications

Space communications assets will be pivotal in supporting the net-centric capabilities required for tighter integration of EW and CIW, cyber/information warfare

Boston, May 5, 2011--Air, sea, and land electronic warfare (ASLEW) is waged within the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum to both attack and defend against enemy personnel and equipment. The Strategy Analytics Advanced Defense Systems (ADS) service report, “Space Communications Systems and Electronic Warfare,” predicts that space communications systems will play a strategic role as an electronic warfare force multiplier, as electronic warfare becomes increasingly integrated and net-centric.

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Pay TV Cord Cutting is Red Flag, Not Death Knell-Strategy Analytics

US Cable Loses 2 Million Subscribers in 2010, but Telco TV and DTH Satellite actually gained subscribers

Boston, Mass., April 28,2011-US Cable operators saw over two million video customers evaporate from their rolls in 2010, whereas Telco TV and Satellite actually gained customers over the same period—more than compensating for Cable's losses and netting a modest 273,000 new Pay TV subscribers overall. A new report by Strategy Analytics suggests that the US Cable industry may not be taking the news seriously enough.

Inmarsat and SkyWave Up the Ante on LDR Services

by NSR

Cambridge, Mass. April 26, 2011--Inmarsat recently announced that it is working with partner SkyWave Mobile Communications to develop a new low data rate (LDR) tracking, monitoring and messaging service that is planned for launch in Q3 2011. The new device dubbed the IsatData Pro promises to deliver up to 37x data capability of current global M2M services. The announcement stated that compared to typical global M2M offerings that provide data connectivity rates of about 270-340 bytes, the new service aims to deliver near real-time messages of up to 10,000 bytes to the device, and up to 6,400 bytes from the device.

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One-Third of US Households Might "Cut Cords"

Scottsdale, Ariz., April 18, 2011--Market researchers at In-Stat say that nearly a third of U.S. households now paying for TV may opt out, or at least down, in the future. Pay TV subscriptions have leveled off, they said, growing just 0.15 percent over 2010. The figure indicates “no current trend toward video cord cutting/shaving,” i.e., the elimination or reduction in services.

The New ‘Normal’:Video Goes Mobile

by Elisabeth Tweedie

Los Angeles, Calif., April 4, 2011--There were 5.3 Billion mobile phones in use at the end of 2010.  Mobile phones if we can really still call them “phones” have a myriad of uses beyond making a mere phone call.  They’re used for email, web browsing, gaming, reading books, listening to and downloading music and watching and downloading video.  Total global mobile data traffic is growing rapidly; in 2010 it was 2.6 times greater than in 2009.  Video is becoming the major component of that data. 

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The Oil and Gas Trifecta: Voice, Data, and Video via Satellite

by NSR

Cambridge, Mass., March 21, 2011-The U.S. Government’s Energy Information Agency recently published that third quarter 2010 capital expenditures on production activities at the top 13 O&G companies are at a five-year high of $29.1B, exceeding the previous high in Q3 2008 of $28.2B. Driven in part by increases in drilling activities after the Gulf of Mexico Moratorium, capital expenditures are up 48% from third-quarter averages from 2005 – 2009, indicating a general upward trend in overall exploration and production (E&P) activities. Hand-in-hand with increases in capital expenditures, O&G companies are looking to connectivity providers to enable a highly connected, real-time, collaborative remote site to boost productivity, reduce downtime, and increase safety.

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