Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES says it is now delivering almost 8,265 channels worldwide, including close to 3,000 in the HD format.
The company’s annual Satellite Monitor market research shows 361 million households worldwide are viewing TV content from an SES satellite.
In Europe there has been growth of 2 million households, and another 2 million in Africa.
At the Astra neighbourhood of 19.2 degrees East, SES’s satellites now serve 118 million households representing over 43% of all European TV homes. The number of TV homes receiving HD content from 19.2 degrees East also continued to increase to 84% representing an increase of almost 30% in five years.
Market | TV homes |
Europe | 170 million |
North America | 65 million |
Latin America | 42 million |
Africa | 37 million |
Asia Pacific | 33 million |
Middle East | 13 million |
Source: SES Satellite Monitor
In Africa, SES has also seen its TV reach increase in the Ethiopian TV market as a result of establishing Ethiopia’s first-ever dedicated TV platform, Ethiosat, on NSS-12 at 57 degrees East. The TV penetration in Ethiopia has tripled compared to four years ago and is at 49 percent in YE 2020.
UHD screens increased 5 percentage points since 2019 and are now present in 20 percent of European TV homes.
Overall, SES’s reach to TV homes is marginally down this year largely due to a change in reporting methodology implemented by the regulatory authority in India requiring a new definition of active subscribers.
