Satellite TV services now reach 59 million homes in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), or 94% of the total in 14 Arabic-speaking countries in the region.
This, according to the latest edition of Eutelsat’s TV Observatory, is up from 92% only 12 months ago.
Eutelsat’s 7/8 degrees neighbourhood remains in pole position, reaching 56.2 million homes in the region, or 3.1 million more than a year earlier.
Its attraction is driven by the line-up of over 1,200 Arabic and international channels, with a high diversity of FTA content and exclusivity (55% of the channels are exclusive).
HD services are also proving increasingly popular, accounting for 15% (179) of the total, or 34% more than a year earlier.
Eutelsat points out that the pace of adoption of HD is accelerating in the MENA region, with HD-equipped homes now reaching 28.2 million, up from 17.7 million in 12 months and representing 46% of TV homes. This percentage is even more significant at the Eutelsat/Nilesat 7/8 degrees West neighbourhood, where 66% of homes own HD displays.
Commenting on the figures, Michel Azibert, Eutelsat chief commercial and development officer, said: “Our 2017 survey confirms the dominance of satellite as the preferred digital infrastructure across the Middle East and North Africa and highlights key trends, notably the increasing significance of High Definition broadcasting. It also confirms the 7/8 degrees West neighbourhood as the prime gateway for broadcasters, reaching into over 56 million homes from Morocco to the Gulf States. In addition to this capability, our complementary Hotbird neighbourhood broadcasts almost 80 Arabic channels, making it a compelling neighbourhood for reaching into millions of homes across Europe as well as in the Middle East and North Africa.”
