Advanced Television

SES: 6 UHD channels contracted

October 30, 2015

By Chris Forrester

Satellite operator SES says it now has secured contracts for six Ultra-HD channels, five of which are already on air. CEO Karim Michel Sabbagh said: “SES has continued to be productive in Q3.  SES has been first out of the starting gate in the commercial introduction of Ultra HD, building on the milestone of Europe’s first commercial UHD channel, pearl.tv – and adding further agreements in Europe and North America with Sky Deutschland, NASA TV, Fashion One, High 4K and TERN-Insight.”

The news emerged during SES’s Q3 results announcement which showed SES revenues to be up 6.1 per cent (at €1.492 billion) for the quarter (although at constant exchange rates the positive improvement translates into a decline of –2.9 per cent).

HDTV channels grew y-o-y by 18.6 per cent to 2178, with HD penetration growing from 29.6 per cent to 30.6 per cent of all channels.

Sabbagh also highlighted that O3b, in which it is the largest shareholder, now had 40 clients on board  its constellation of 12 satellites.

“SES has exciting opportunities ahead and is well placed to deliver sustained medium to long-term growth. Our relentless execution of a differentiated strategy allows us to capitalise on the strong demand drivers across the four market verticals now defining SES’s business,” added Sabbagh.

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