Eutelsat, Nilesat dominate MENA HD
March 21, 2017
Eutelsat used the Dubai CABSAT show to remind audiences that its combination 7/8 degrees West position, occupied by Eutelsat and Nilesat satellites, is now offering 175 HD channels, 100 of which are exclusive.
Eutelsat says that its HD channel count is up 50 per cent on a year ago. Speaking at the CABSAT Convention in Dubai, Ghassan Murat, VP/Business Development & Strategy at Eutelsat Dubai, said: “Eutelsat is dedicated to accompanying the uptake of HD and a diversity of free-to-air channels on our satellites. Our 2016 survey in MENA confirmed the pole position of the 7/8° West neighbourhood we share with Nilesat, which serves 52.3 million homes, up from 49.7 million in 2014. A new wave of growth enabled by the Eutelsat 8 West B satellite has seen an almost 50 per cent hike in High Definition channels over the last year, further consolidating 7/8° West as the place to be in the Middle East and North Africa.”
Eutelsat says that with 175 HD channels the 7/8° West position is setting the pace for HD broadcasting in the Middle East and North Africa. “Free-to-air Arabic HD content now outnumbers pay, with almost 100 channels, compared to 77 pay-TV channels. The demand for HD reflects the increasing penetration of HD screens in MENA homes which has crossed the tipping point of 50 per cent on average per country.”