Russia’s Orion gained 50,000 new subscribers to its satellite TV service Telekarta in the first half of this year.
At the same time, revenues from the service were 12% higher than in the same period last year. However, this could not stop the outflow of TV customers, which fell by 2.8% to 3,006,000 in the year to June 30.
In its latest set of results, the company notes that the share of its B2B product portfolio changed slightly in the year to June 30, with DTH service occupying 70%, services for TV broadcasters 24% and channel distribution 6%. B2B revenues for the uplink, production and terrestrial channels fell by 3% over the year, mainly due to a slump of 19% in Q2.
Orion notes that two new TV channels were added to Telekarta during the reporting period. The volume of sold satellite capacity remained at at the H1 2019 level of 275 MHz and the company provided playout and ground delivery services for 75 channels.
Commenting on the results, Orion’s DG Kirill Makhnovsky said: “Despite the overall positive dynamics of the volume of receipts, we are experiencing a significant decline in the direction of B2B services. In the second quarter of this year, it was possible to stop it with DTH, since the need for satellite television during the period of self-isolation and the beginning of the summer season increased. We can already see that the pandemic has had a significant impact on the industry, so there is no reason to expect significant growth by the end of the year. The development of business services will be significantly affected by the fall in advertising revenues for TV broadcasters. In any case, we closely monitor the market situation and expect to maintain the stability of the business, adjusting to the changing opportunities and needs of our clients”.