News Analysis

Geneva, Switzerland, February 17, 2012--The World Radiocommunication Conference 2012 (WRC-12)  concluded its deliberations today with the signing of the Final Acts that revise the Radio Regulations, the international treaty governing the use of radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits.Over 3000 participants, representing 165 out of ITU’s 193 Member States attended the four-week Conference, braving the extreme winter conditions prevailing in Geneva. Over 100 Observers from among ITU’s 700 private sector members along with international organizations also attended WRC-12.

El Segundo, Calif., February 16, 2012--DirecTV, the largest satellite TV provider in the United States, reported a 16 percent increase in fourth-quarter profit amid rising subscriber numbers in Latin America. Net income rose to $718 million, or US$1.02 a share, from US $618 million, or 74 cents, a year earlier, according to the company fourth quarter 2011 financial results.

New York City, February 10, 2012--Americans spend more than 33 hours per week watching video across the screens, according to the latest Nielsen Cross-Platform Report. But how they’re consuming content—traditional TV and otherwise—is changing. Demonstrating that consumers are increasingly making Internet connectivity a priority, 75.3 percent pay for broadband Internet (up from 70.9% last year); 90.4 percent pay for cable, telephone company-provided TV or satellite. Homes with both paid TV and broadband increased 5.5 percent since last year.

Hauppage, NY, February 8, 2012--Globecomm reported fiscal 2012 second quarter revenues increasing by 35.5% to a record US$95.2 million as compared to US $70.2 million in the same period last year. Revenues from service increased 15.6% to a record $54.7 million, as compared to $47.3 million in the same period last year. The increase in service revenue was primarily driven by the company’s acquisition of ComSource, completed on April 2011, which contributed $6.4 million, coupled with an increase in scope on a major government program in the Middle East.

Paris, February 6, 2012-- Euroconsult announced today that it expects prospects for the satellite industry to remain favorable over the decade in a variety of areas. The next ten years should see continued growth for commercial markets, while at the same time stagnating growth for government spending should be expected at least through mid-decade.

Austin, Texas, February 2, 2012-- This will be the year the consumer electronics (CE) industry finally realizes the promise of multi-screen content consumption. According to a new report by IMS Research, an independent supplier of market research and consultancy to the global electronics industry, shipments of residential data modems and gateways will reach 135 million in 2012, and shipments of IP-enabled consumer electronics devices will approach 2.5 billion, rising to 3.5 billion in 2015.

by NSR

Cambridge, Mass. , February 1, 2012--In January 2012, an agreement to buy shares in the U.S. Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) was signed by Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and New Zealand. The agreement enables immediate access to WGS capacity in exchange for financing the WGS-9 spacecraft. Moreover, a WGS-10 satellite is expected to be contracted soon.

San Jose, Calif., January 26, 2012 — The Fall 2011 IPTV Market Leader Report from MRG, Inc., is now tracking over 934 IPTV Operators globally, an increase from 913 just six months ago, and revealing over 50 million IPTV subscribers worldwide. “Although the MLR only tracks pure-play IPTV deployments worldwide, it clearly reflects that IPTV Operators are using other hybrid delivery methods including satellite, digital terrestrial and over-the-top (OTT) Internet services to complement their IPTV offerings or expand into new regions and markets,” says Jose Alvear, MRG Senior Analyst. “Likewise, multiscreen services are rapidly being launched by many pay-TV operators around the world, with many delivering TV and VOD directly to the iPad and other smart devices.”

by NSR

Cambridge, Mass., January 25, 2012--When The UK Government announced support to finance half of SSTL’s newest radar satellite, it confirmed a trend NSR has seen cropping up in recent times: smaller satellites are gaining ground in both optical and now in SAR markets.As more manufacturers are looking to address this market with finer ground resolution and smaller satellites at a lower cost (£200 million for four 300 kg. SSTL radar satellites), the effect is likely to be a reduction in the cost of data at the end user side.

New York City, January 24, 2012--The World Teleport Association announced the release of its newest report, How to Reduce Costs and Optimize Use of the Local Loop. The report shares the best practices of teleport operators for managing local connectivity, where costs, quality and availability can have a significant impact on business operations and financial results.