Satellite has consolidated its position in the Middle East with the Eutelsat-Nilesat neighbourhood at 7/8 degrees West the most popular destination for multichannel viewing.
The position reaches more than 52.3 million homes in 14 Arab countries.
In its 2016 TV Observatory in Middle East and North Africa, Eutelsat also reports 24 million TV homes in the region are now equipped for multichannel television viewing.
Overall, satellite in the MENA region remains the backbone of digital TV infrastructure, reaching into 56.1 million homes. This represents more than 90% of the 61.1 million TV homes from Morocco to the Gulf States.
Michel Azibert, Eutelsat Chief Commercial and Development Officer, said: “Our 2016 survey takes the pulse of the vibrant Arab TV market and throws up key trends that include the acceleration of High Definition broadcasting and the diversity of free-to-air channels in the region. The new wave of growth also reflects last year’s launch of the Eutelsat 8 West B satellite that has generated a +37% hike in High Definition channels and further consolidated 7/8° West as the video neighbourhood of reference in the Middle East and North Africa.”
HD is also picking up numbers and is now over the 20 million mark, up from 14.4 million and now accounting for 34% of TV homes in the region. This percentage is even higher within the 7/8 West audience (46%).
50% of those interviewed by TNS and IPSOS were also aware of Ultra HD.
