Advanced Television

Exane/BNPP

US to boost satellite communications budget

US President Joe Biden, in his plans for next year, shows a potential increase in the US space budget for defence and satellite communications. While the overall budget grows by 2 per cent, the amount suggested for the US Space Force is upped by 26 per cent. A report from investment bank Exane/BNPP says that […]

March 30, 2022

Bank approves SES’s DRS acquisition

On March 21st satellite operator SES announced it was buying governmental solutions business DRS Global Enterprise Solutions (GES), a US subsidiary of Italian Leonardo DRS. The $450 million (€408.8m) move has been analysed by investment bank Exane/BNPP which believes there is a “strong strategic rationale” behind the acquisition. Leonardo Chief Executive Alessandro Profumo said the […]

March 24, 2022

OneWeb abandons Russian launch

London-based broadband satellite operator OneWeb has abandoned its planned Russian launch of 36 extra craft for its mega-constellation. The decision was taken at a OneWeb board meeting held in London. The launch should have taken place from Baikonur in a Russian-controlled portion of Kazakhstan on March 4th. But Russian space agency Roscosmos had demanded that […]

March 3, 2022By Chris Forrester

Bank: Eutelsat could switch off Russia transponders

Eutelsat executives say they have about 6 per cent of group revenues exposed to Russian activity. The bulk of this comes from distribution deals on Russian pay-TV systems operated by Tricolor and NTV+. A report from analysts at investment bank Exane/BNPP forecasts a scenario – unconfirmed by the company – where the French government requests […]

March 2, 2022

SES: C-band extra benefits examined

SES unveiled its end-of-year numbers on February 24th and in its post-results analysts call, CEO Steve Collar explained that the satellite operator was “well ahead” of its work to prepare for FCC-mandated C-band conversion work for the SES. Collar stated the C-band Phase 2 work meant SES was on track to receive the remaining $3bn […]

February 25, 2022

Bank examines Jio, SES deal

A major Joint Venture from Reliance Jio, the giant Indian telco, and satellite operator SES, which will see Jio use the SES capacity for broadband connectivity for its Indian customers. Investment bank Exane/BNPP says the move is a major endorsement for SES and in particular its mPower fleet of satellites. The bank says: “The endorsement […]

February 15, 2022

Bank examines SES and Eutelsat

SES and Eutelsat, Europe’s pair of important satellite operators, have come under the microscope from investment bank Exane/BNPP. SES comes out of the report well. Eutelsat, less so. The bank forecasts that by 2024 it estimates that SES could be 24 per cent ahead in terms of its EBITDA numbers and therefore with a 45 […]

February 9, 2022By Chris Forrester

Eutelsat combats sexism

Paris-based satellite operator Eutelsat has signed up to the StOpE initiative to combat sexism in the workplace. Eutelsat is aiming at raising awareness among all employees to encourage them to act against sexist behaviour in the workplace. This move further supports the gender equality policies of the group. Last year, the company reported that women […]

January 27, 2022By Chris Forrester

Would SES/Intelsat merger make sense?

The FT reports that as Intelsat emerges from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reconstruction the satellite operator will lose its CEO Steve Spengler (who will leave with a pay-out of at least $4 million) but could also find itself open to a takeover. SES is mentioned as a potential buyer. The FT quotes analyst Armand Musey, […]

January 19, 2022

Survey: ITV, Eutelsat are takeover targets

Bloomberg, in what investment bank Exane/BNPP describes as an “informal survey”, has suggested that Eutelsat and ITV are “most likely takeover” candidates. The bank suggests that ITV has been in the Bloomberg poll fairly frequently over the past ten years. Other companies named as possible takeover targets include KPN, Telecom Italia, Invit, Nokia, ProSiebenSat. 1 […]

January 18, 2022By Chris Forrester