News Analysis

Liberty Global Reports $331M loss in 4Q 2012

Englewood, Colorado, February 13, 2013 — Liberty Global, Inc. said on Thursday it posted a loss of $331 million, or $1.27 per share, on the fourth quarter of 2012 compared to a profit of $322.8 million, or $1.21 per share, during the same period last year.

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Western Europe Leads Adoption of New Media Technology

London, UK, February 12, 2013--Western Europe leads adoption of new media technology as smartphone penetration rises 27% a year according to a new ZenithOptimedia study of 19 advanced markets. ZenithOptimedia tracked the adoption of three new media technologies – IPTV, smartphones and tablets – and forecast their penetration to 2015.

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Eutelsat nets $239 million in 6 months

Paris, February 7, 2013 — Eutelsat Communications reported revenues of $848.71 (euro 633.6) million and net income of US$ 239.13 (euro 178.5) million for the first half of fiscal year 2012-2013 cementing its position as one of the world’s biggest satellite operators.

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Arabsat Acquires Majority Stake in Hellas-Sat

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 7, 2013--Arabsat has signed an agreement with the Hellenic Telecommunication Organization (OTE;), one of the largest telecom groups in South Eastern Europe, for the acquisition of its 99.05% equity participation in Hellas-Sat Consortium Ltd.The share purchase agreement was signed upon an aggregate consideration of €208 million  (US$ 280 mil).

Liberty Global taking over Virgin Media

Englewood, Colo., February 6, 2013 — 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.

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SES' HD+ Platform Now Exceeds one million Paying Households

Luxembourg, February 5, 2013 - SES announced today that its German HD platform HD+ now exceeds one million paying households. For the full year of 2012, HD+ more than doubled the number of paying customers, from 404,123 to 944,993. HD PLUS expects a growth rate of 25 percent for paying customers in 2013.

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Espial Completes Acquisition of ANT plc

Ottawa, Canada, Feb. 4, 2013 — 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.

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The Earth Station Business

by Dan Freyer

Los Angeles, Calif., February 3, 2013--The large antenna systems manufacturing and earth station integration business has changed in the last several years. While the number of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) supplying smaller antennas, (e.g. under 5 meters), including specialized systems for aeronautical and military applications, continues to grow, consolidation has narrowed the field of large antenna makers.  Two majors, ASC Signal and General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies lead the pack today.    Nevertheless, the business of supplying complete turnkey earth station systems, of which the antenna and RF chain are a key component, remains a competitive market. 

What is a Satellite Services Business Really Worth?

by Robert Bell

New York City, February 1, 2013--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.

Hispasat Deploys 4,000 Antennas for Broadband via Satellite

Madrid, Spain, February 1, 2013 — Spain’s satellite communications operator, Hispasat, said it has completed deploying 4,000 antennas capable of delivering broadband service making it the market leader in satellite residential broadband market in Spain.

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