• Broadcasting Satellite Services Not Slowed Down By Recession

Despite a limited market slowdown, the FSS market grew both in terms of transponder demand (+5.3 percent) and revenue reaching $ 10.3 billion revenue in 2009. Television broadcasting and emerging markets continue to be the primary growth drivers, with satellite broadband service (“BBS”) systems contributing to growth as well.

The broadcasting satellite services market has good prospects for the coming years. Future growth is expected in the emerging digital markets of Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe, while the mature markets of North America and Western Europe will continue to sustain a large volume of channels.

Speakers on several panels at the World Satellite Business Week that took placed from September 6 to 9 in Paris agreed that the broadcasting market is undergoing deep technological changes, resulting in the growing sophistication of services being offered. High definition is expected to be a key growth driver in the next decade. From content producers to equipment manufacturers, the value chain is progressively turning to HD.

The transition from SD to HD will generate further activity for satellite service providers, to the detriment of broadcasters whose priority is to limit the costs of migration. Both global and regional operators are confident in the growth prospects of their business as consumers continue to watch TV, even during an economic crisis. New TV channels will be launched in the future, led by the rollout of new platforms and the enlargement of existing satellite pay-TV platforms’ offerings.

Some of the biggest challenges for pay-TV remain piracy and the size of the free-to-air market. In the emerging digital markets where terrestrial pay-TV penetration is still low, operators offering satellite payTV have an opportunity to increase market share.

In mature markets such as North America and Europe, where the satellite video broadcasting industry is already largely developed, future demand in satellite capacity is expected to come from the roll-out of enhanced services (non-linear TV) and from higher-quality content such as HDTV, 3DTV and Ultra HD which require more capacity. Source: 17th Satellite Communications & Broadcasting Markets Survey, Forecasts to 2019 — Mounia El Bouzegaoui

Mounia works as an analyst primarily in the area of digital broadcasting. She contributes to both client missions and research reports, such as Satellite TV Platforms and Satellite Communications & Broadcasting World Markets Survey. Prior to joining Euroconsult in 2007, she worked for IBM Global Technology Services and a small consulting firm in the UK.
bouzegaoui@euroconsult-ec.com

• Growth Ahead In The Maritime Satellite Communications Sector

The recession’s impact on the maritime satellite communications industry has been modest. Despite a drop in sales of some equipment and a slowdown in new installations, a large number of service providers reported continuous growth in satellite usage and service revenues. Despite the generally poor economic climate worldwide at the time, revenues increased by nearly 9 percent, with tier-1 service provider revenues reaching nearly $1.4 billion.

Source: Maritime Telecom Solutions by Satellite---Global Market Analysis & Forecasts — Projections on SATCOM terminal installation in the merchant shipping sector — Wei Li

Wei is a regular contributor to Euroconsult research reports and clients missions, focusing on capacity demand and pricing, as well as applications and FSS downstream sectors evaluations. Prior to joining Euroconsult Wei worked at Vizada (formerly known as France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communication), where he analyzed opportunities in specific vertical and geographic markets for the Inmarsat BGAN service and managed pilot projects for new products.
li@euroconsult-ec.com