Chris Forrester is one of the most experienced and highly regarded journalists in the field. His insight and analysis, particularly in the satellite and pay-TV arena, is highly prized. He has written for all the major business journals in the sector as well as several national newspapers.
Investment bank Jefferies issued its report on the SES results and advised investors to “read between the lines”. While admitting that the day “was painful” for the company, analyst Giles Thorne added: “In our view, [the day] will be looked upon in time as the day SES signalled structural solutions to its structural problems, namely: […]
SES has confirmed it is looking at restructuring its fast-growing ‘Networks’ division into a separate business. The decision, and potential shape of the plan, is not yet finalised but one option open to SES is to spin it off completely via an Initial Public Offering. However, the cutting of its Dividend by 50 per cent […]
Sir Richard Branson’s passenger-carrying and satellite launching space plane Virgin Galactic is again postponing its entry into commercial service. On February 25th it announced greater than expected losses on a year’s trading. It reported a net loss of $73 million for the quarter on quarterly revenues of just $529,000. Consensus from analysts was for a […]
There are times when our regulators need both a tough hide and the wisdom of Solomon as they get to rule on complex demands. Making a wrong decision could prove to be a nightmare. Even making the right decision might lead to severe complaints and long-lasting legal problems. For those satellite operators controlling spectrum over […]
Over 50 per cent of UK homes are now signed up to OTT services, according to BARB data released last week. This suggests there could be problems ahead for ITV, the UK’s main commercial broadcaster. The numbers are staggering with 27 million UK homes accessing one or more OTT services (led by Netflix with 12.35 […]
Despite the continuing challenges being faced by Intelsat, one analyst says he senses a “more optimistic tone” from the company. Giles Thorne, an analyst at investment bank Jefferies, said that Intelsat is guiding overall revenues for this full year at $1.93-$1.98 billion which would represent a 5 per cent fall over 2019. The segment showing […]
Sami Kassab, a satellite analyst at investment bank Exane/BNPP, commenting on the disagreements between Intelsat and SES – the core members of the C-Band Alliance (CBA) – says in his view the CBA has “fallen apart”. An SES statement, issued February 20th, read: “[We are] disappointed by Intelsat’s eleventh-hour attempt to renounce its commitments made […]
Spaceway 1, once the satellite industry’s most powerful and flexible Ka-band craft, is now safely in a so-called graveyard orbit. Spaceway 1, also at the time the heaviest-ever satellite to be launched, was acquired by DirecTV with a fascinating history behind it. The Spaceway system was planned to be a global Ka-band communications satellite and […]
Eutelsat’s CEO Rodolphe Belmer, in his results discussion with analysts, stressed again that the operator’s business was healthy. At one stage, and grumbling about the company’s low share price, he rhetorically asked one analyst why would Eutelsat be continuing to invest long-term in replacement satellites if its overall business was in decline. “Our Video Broadcast […]
France’s new combined TV streaming service Salto is due to beta launch on June 3rd ahead of a full roll-out during September. However, a bank report suggests it remains cautious on other European free-to-air broadcasters’ prospects because of their limited libraries and lack of marketing firepower. CEO Thomas Follin has already announced that the French […]
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