News Analysis

London, UK, March 27, 2012--Satellite has become the leading TV infrastructure in Europe, ahead of terrestrial and cable reception according to the annual Satellite Monitor study presented by SES. Approximately 84 million European households have satellite (Direct-to-Home, DTH) as their primary TV reception mode, an increase of 22 percent over the last four years. In the same period, terrestrial TV lost nearly 16 million homes, while cable lost over 2 million. IPTV – the TV distribution over tele-communication networks in IP format – has grown from a very low level to some 16 million households.

Santa Clara, Calif., March 14, 2012--In 2011 worldwide TV shipments fell for the first time since NPD DisplaySearch began tracking global TV shipments in 2004, slipping 0.3% to 247.7M units. As reported in the latest NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report, LCD TV shipments increased by 7% to just over 205M units in 2011—a substantial slowdown from the double digit growth in previous years. With plasma TV shipments declining almost 7% in 2011 to 17.2M units, the largest decline yet, and CRT shipments falling 34%, LCD growth was not enough to offset these declines.

by Elisabeth Tweedie, Associate Editor

Los Angeles, Calif., March 6, 2012-- After more than four years of discussion, debate and deliberation in February of this year the Australian government’s NBN Co. Ltd. signed a contract for two Ka-Band satellites to deliver broadband to the three percent of Australian households and enterprises that are located out of the reach of fiber and terrestrial wireless.  This was a landmark decision both for Australia and for the satellite industry as a whole as it marks the first time that a government has so wholeheartedly endorsed satellite as a means of providing broadband connectivity; something that last year the UN in its Broadband Challenge declared to be a “human right”.

by B.H. Schneiderman

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 5, 2012--The Latin American satellite market continues to grow in terms of applications such as Direct-to-Home (DTH), HDTV, Cellular Backhaul & Trunking,  and government programs aimed at bridging the Digital Divide.  International satellite operators such as SES and Intelsat are forced to review their strategy and are bringing more capacity to serve the region in the next 5 years to be better positioned for relevant growth in transponder capacity and to be able to meet the growing demands of the market.

by Robert Bell

New York City, March 2, 2012-There are those still working today who can remember where there was no competition in the satellite business, when it was completely dominated by treaty organizations or state-owned companies beholden to national governments and bound by monopoly regulations.  There are still wide swathes of the planet where monopoly conditions rule but the international market now contains a multitude of companies large and small, operating in space and on the ground, who compete fiercely for government, media, telecommunications, maritime and other business. 

San Jose, Calif., February 27, 2012 — The new IPTV forecast from MRG, Inc. indicates that the number of global IPTV subscribers will grow from 53 million in 2011 to 105.1 million in 2015, a CAGR of 18.7%.The service revenue for the global IPTV market was US$21.8 billion in 2011 and is projected to grow to US$45.3 billion in 2015, a CAGR of 20%. By 2015, Europe and North America will continue to generate a larger share of the global revenue.