Advanced Television

Bank: “NENT ready to thrive”

NENT Group, the Nordic streaming company which includes the Scandinavian Viasat pay-TV brand, is well placed to thrive domestically and internationally according to a report from investment bank Berenberg. The bank recognises that along with many other pay-TV operations, NENT has benefited from the lockdown, saying: “2020 represented a significant year for the global streaming […]

February 5, 2021

Intelsat debunks inflight WiFi myths

Intelsat has published the first in a blog series designed to debunk myths about satellite communications and how it is planning for its future. Intelsat answers the argument that “Truly exceptional inflight WiFi will always be out of reach”. Intelsat reminds readers that in 2019 – in happier pre-Covid times – US airlines carried more […]

February 3, 2021

All change for UK space policy

The UK government has changed how it looks after its embryonic space activity. It has decided to remove responsibility for the development of rocket sites, space policy and strategy from the UK Space Agency and to bring the controls and supervision into its Department for Business. The move may be unconnected but the Space Agency’s […]

February 1, 2021

Musk vs Bezos in FCC row

The planet’s two richest individuals, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, are involved in a bitter slanging match over their satellite mega-constellations. Their rival businesses, SpaceX and Project Kuiper, have lodged tit-for-tat almost daily filings with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with SpaceX saying that Amazon’s Kuiper is guilty of “stifling competition”. SpaceX is already asking […]

January 27, 2021By Chris Forrester

SES seeks payment from GEE

Global Eagle Entertainment (GEE), a major supplier of in-flight entertainment and broadband connectivity to aircraft, is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reconstruction. It entered bankruptcy on July 22nd 2020 and has subsequently struck an agreement with a number of new investors whereby a consortium will acquire almost all of GEE for $675 million. The buying consortium […]

January 22, 2021

Netflix: “Still room for growth”

Netflix’s 200+ million subscribers, and with seemingly no worries over its future financing, delivered a strong message to both its pay-TV rivals as well as Europe’s important broadcasters. Netflix, in reporting its Q4 results said its net paid subs addition (8.5 million vs 6 million guidance) was impressive. Total paid streaming subscribers crossed 200 million […]

January 21, 2021

Russia threatens Starlink and OneWeb users

Reports out of Moscow state that Russia’s lower house of parliament (Duma) has legislated penalties for any citizen using Elon Musk’s Starlink or the UK/India-backed OneWeb low Earth orbiting satellite systems. Neither company currently has users in Russia. Russia is reportedly working on ‘Sphere’ (Сфера, in Russian), its own mega-constellation of satellites. But the probable […]

January 20, 2021

EchoStar and Viasat revised down by bank

Viasat, the California-based international broadband-by-satellite supplier, and Charlie Ergen’s EchoStar satellite business have both suffered a downgrade by analysts at investment bank Jefferies. In essence, the bank’s report says that Viasat’s revenues are likely to be impacted by the Covid pandemic and the bank has downgraded its revenue forecasts for this trading year. The bank […]

January 19, 2021

Intelsat boss accused of insider trading

Intelsat has been hit with another claim of insider dealing over the reallocation of C-band spectrum and the collapse of Intelsat share values. This time the allegation concerns its current chairman and former CEO Dave McGlade. Intelsat is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reconstruction. McGlade is specifically alleged to have sold a significant package of Intelsat […]

January 18, 2021

OneWeb dramatically cuts satellite plan

During its bankruptcy last year, would-be satellite operator OneWeb requested permission to launch almost 48,000 satellites into orbit. That application was made in May 2020. Now, perhaps wiser heads have prevailed, and the overall number reduced dramatically by almost 85 per cent. OneWeb, in a filing this week with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has […]

January 15, 2021