News Analysis

How Multi-Screen Consumers Are Changing Media Dynamics

Reston,VA,  June 12, 2012 – comScore, Inc. and the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) today released a research white paper entitled How Multi-Screen Consumers Are Changing Media Dynamics, revealing several new findings about the viewing habits of consumers who engage with media brands across multiple touchpoints.

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Maritime VSATs: From Crew Amenity to Corporate Necessity

by Chris Frith

Singapore, June 4, 2012--Many fleet owners, looking to improve the lives of their crew by providing an affordable means for them to keep in touch with family and friends while onboard, turn to VSAT-based solutions to provide the connectivity.    But it doesn’t need to stop there.  The same VSAT system can be used to improve the bottom-line by enabling closer integration between ship and shore operations, just in the same way VSATs are used the world over to link branch offices to their headquarters.  This article examines the wide variety of ship based applications proactive fleet managers are now using their satellite link for. 

Strong Demand Driving the Asia-Pacific Satellite Market

by Peter Galace

Manila, June 4, 2012--Driven by the continued strong demand for satellite services in the Asia Pacific region, the industry’s most important drivers -- high-definition TV conversion, DTH television and intercontinental video transmissions-- remain in high growth mode. Multi-year contracts of satellite operators are enabling the industry to maintain a dependable revenue stream despite the turmoil in other parts of the world. Transponder fill rates have remained generally high with good revenues from transponder leasing and purchase of satellite equipment by Asian countries remain buoyant.

OTT TV Does not Yet Rival Traditional Services, Strategic Partnerships to Benefit Both Sides

London, UK, May 30, 2012--Despite their ever-increasing momentum, over-the-top (OTT) TV services are not yet an adequate alternative to traditional pay-TV, according to Ovum. However, operators should not rest easy, warns the Global analysts; besides enjoying significant brand equity, a handful of key OTT players, such as LOVEFiLM and YouTube, can also leverage the financial strength and assets of their parent companies (Amazon and Google, respectively) to substantially improve their positioning.

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Hosted Payloads Report Sheds Light on Government & Industry Requirements

Paris and Montreal, May 29, 2012 – Euroconsult today announced the launch of its latest research report, "Hosted Payloads: The View From Within." Following discussions with the Hosted Payload Alliance (HPA), Euroconsult decided to pursue development of the report in order to identify and assess corresponding and conflicting perspectives from the key stakeholder groups directly involved in hosted payload programs. Based on an exhaustive survey, the views of eight key stakeholder groups were examined on the basis of risks, opportunities, challenges and requirements related to hosted payloads.

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Emerging Markets Sustain Robust Growth for Satellite TV Platforms

Paris, May 24, 2012--Euroconsult  announced today that the satellite pay-TV industry reached revenues close to $90 billion in 2011, up from $79 billion in 2010. Global industry revenues are expected to reach close to $150 billion in 2021, with emerging markets (i.e. Latin America, Central Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Africa and Asia) representing a growing share of revenues that will nearly double over the next ten years to reach 44% by 2021.

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Point Topic Reveals Who has Weathered the Broadband Crunch

London, May 22, 2012--Latest figures released today by leading broadband analyst firm Point Topic, reveal which countries have triumphed the broadband “crunch”, and those that have battled their way through to meet, or even exceed, expectations set in 2009.Oliver Johnson, CEO at Point Topic, said: “This has been a difficult period for the world. Markets have been subject to a number of internal and external shocks that have made it pretty difficult for crystal ball gazers. Our global projection from May 2009 ended up being just over 3.5% too optimistic compared to the actual numbers reported at the end of 2011.”

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Mobile is both Facebook’s Achilles Heel and Future

London, UK, May 17, 2012--Mobile is both Facebook’s Achilles heel and future says Guillermo Escofet, Senior Analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media.
Facebook has been at the forefront of the big growth in mobile data usage in recent years. It is indisputably one of the big stars of mobile; one that most operators have wanted to ally themselves with to drive the sale of data plans on their networks.

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Satellite Manufacturing and Launch Markets Ready for a Bumpy Ride

Cambridge, Mass., May 15, 2012--NSR’s Global Satellite Manufacturing and Launch Markets, 2nd Edition, finds the satellite manufacturing and launch markets facing both softening demand and increasing competition until 2016. However, in the second half of the next decade the manufacturing market will be back on an upward track, while the launch services market will see more years of stagnant growth.

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HTS-Powered Consumer Broadband Services: Are They Late to the Party?

by Rajiv Hazaray

Bordertown, NJ, May 2, 2012--During Satellite 2012, the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) bestowed the Industry Innovators Awards on Eutelsat Communications and ViaSat Inc in recognition of the development and launch of their High Throughput Satellites (HTS), KA-SAT and ViaSat-1, respectively. High frequency reuse and multiple spot beam architecture have packed 10 times capacity on these Ka-Band satellites without any deployment cost penalties.