Eutelsat’s fixed broadband strategy helped the satellite operator deliver sales ahead of expectations in the six months to December.
Though ahead of analyst forecasts the €613.1 million in sales was still 3.6% lower than the prior year.
The Eutelsat Konnect satellite entered into service last November and a number of retail operators are now in place. These include Telecom Italia and Orange in France. Speeds of up to 100 mbps are offered for an equivalent of £30 per month.
Broadcast revenues were down 1.8% to €379 million following July’s contract renegotiation with Greece’s Forthnet.
As of December 31, 2020, the total number of channels broadcast by Eutelsat satellites stood at 6,608, down 3.9% year-on-year. HD penetration continued to increase, standing at 1,767 channels versus 1,605 a year, an increase of 10%.
While there has been a general slowdown in commercial contracts against the background of the pandemic, Eutelsat has renewed a multi-year agreement with its largest broadcast customer Sky Italia at the Hotbird neighbourhood (13 degrees East), and in the African market expanded contracts with Multichoice and ZAP at 36 degrees East.
