HD channels are still driving growth in satellite distribution; SES reports growth of 11.3% in 2014 with the strongest growth coming in emerging markets.
The Luxembourg-based operator now broadcasts a total of 7,268 channels as detailed in its Infographic
Nearly 60% of all channels on the SES fleet are now broadcast in the MPEG-4 compression standard.
The number of HDTV channels served by SES’s fleet of over 50 satellites grew by 18% to 2,230 channels, representing 31% of the total TV channels on SES satellites. In contrast, the number of HDTV channels carried over satellite for the rest of industry grew by 13% to about 6,400 channels.
“With more TV channels than ever before, this confirms SES’s leading role as a TV broadcasting infrastructure and driver of global digitisation, as well as emphasising the essential role of satellite for video distribution,” said Ferdinand Kayser, chief commercial officer, SES. “SES is exceptionally well placed to leverage major growth opportunities, especially in new and emerging markets. Our current launch programme is a dynamic engine for this future growth, delivering a 21% increase in capacity in the emerging markets by the end of 2017. With more and more channels being broadcast in HD quality, and broadcasters entering the era of Ultra HD, 2016 and beyond will see continued growth and accelerated development for SES’s video segment.”
The number of total TV channels in Europe served by SES increased by 9% to nearly 2,600 channels, while the total channels in North America was unchanged at about 1,800 channels. The continued penetration of HDTV channels, which require more satellite capacity than Standard Definition channels, was the principal contributor to growth, as the number of HDTV channels grew by over 25% to nearly 700 channels in Europe and by over 3% to more than 1,200 channels in North America.
