Eutelsat’s revenues from video applications in the first quarter, ending September 30, amounted to €227.6 million, or 3.2% more than in the same period last year.
They were boosted by the entry into service of Express-AT1, which was operational for the full quarter; addition resources added at 7/8 degrees West in September 2013; and a good performance from Satmex.
Video applications accounted for 65.1% of Eutelsat’s revenues in the quarter, while data, the next largest source of income, was down by 5% year-on-year to €51.2 million. Total revenues stood at €357.6 million, up 4.1% on a year earlier.
Eutelsat has 1,033 operational transponders at the end of september, up from 859 a year earlier. The number of leased transponders was 785 (646) and fill rate 76% (75.2%).
The total number of channels broadcast by Eutelsat satellites stood at 5,788.
Exclusing Satmex, the channel count was up 16% year-on-year to 753.
Meanwhile, the total number of HD channels, including Satmex’s, rose from 439 to 629 over the year, with the penetration rate standing at 10.9%, compared to 9.3% a year earlier.
Commenting on the first quarter, Michel de Rosen, chairman and CEO said: “Like-for-like revenue growth of 4.2% for the first quarter was in line with our objectives, and we are on track to deliver on our full-year financial targets. Our core Video activity saw a further pick-up in revenue growth reflecting capacity added in the past year serving high-growth markets. Regional trends in Data remained mixed, with ongoing tough conditions in EMEA but good momentum in Latin America. Growth in Value-Added Services remained robust on the back of the continued uptake on KA-SAT. Government Services benefited from new contracts and the good performance of Satmex. ??Our order backlog stood at €6.3 billion, representing over 4.5 years of revenues and continuing to lend strong visibility to our business. The Satmex acquisition and the roll-out of our targeted fleet deployment plan mean we are well positioned to capture the growth opportunities we have identified in our sector. The underlying drivers in our core applications remain positive.”
