The number of HD channels on the SES fleet grew by 7% to 2,495 in 2016.
According to SES, 33% of all the 7,538 channels on the fleet are in HD, with SES carrying 27% of all HD channels globally. Furthermore, over 60% of all channels on SES’s fleet are now broadcast in the MPEG-4 compression standard.
Increasing HDTV penetration in Europe was the key driver of SES’s overall HDTV development in 2016, with the number of channels in the format growing by 14% to over 750. This was complemented by growth in the Americas.
SES has now also secured 21 Ultra HD channels, compared to eight a year ago. Today, it is broadcasting nearly 50% of all the Ultra HD channels carried over satellite globally.
In 2016, the acquisition of RR Media and subsequent creation of MX1 through a merger with SES Platform Services supported SES’s new HDTV and Ultra HD channels across Europe and North America, as well as the further expansion of SES’s video business across emerging markets.
The launch of SES-9 and the continued development of SES’s HD and Ultra HD business were also significant factors supporting growth in Asian markets, where the company is applying its differentiated strategy. The launch of SES-10 and SES-15 later this year will deliver further growth potential for the Americas.
Ferdinand Kayser, chief commercial officer of SES, said: “With more TV channels than ever before, this confirms SES’s leading role as a TV broadcasting infrastructure and driver of global digitisation.
“Through the growth of its channels portfolio and through major acquisitions in 2016, 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. With more and more channels being broadcast in HD and Ultra HD, 2017 and beyond will see continued growth and accelerated development for SES’s video segment.”
