SES saw revenues slip in the third quarter as European video prices fell and US clients continued to switch-off standard definition channels.
Announcing its results for the first nine months of the year, the Luxembourg-based satellite operator reported €332.6 million in profit, down from the €404.3 million of 2018, though in line with expectations.
As of September 30, 2019, SES was delivering a total of 8,219 TV channels to viewers around the world, representing an increase of 3% (year-on-year). Overall, SES is now distributing 2,867 channels in High Definition (up 3% year-on-year) and 45 commercial Ultra High Definition channels (up 13% year-on-year). 68% of total TV channels are now broadcast in MPEG-4 with an additional 4% in HEVC.
Revenue from the German mini-pay platform HD+ fell, though the number of subscribers remained stable. TV manufacturers Panasonic and Samsung are now moving to a software-based model.
