p04,6,8-10,12-14,16-17 Euro50 NovDec09v3 9/11/09 14:30 Page 13
Digital TV Europe Euro 50 > Leaders in broadband and pay-TV
November/December 2009
Giuliano Berretta Chairman and CEO, Eutelsat
and pass on these savings to the end user. We will also offer a faster
service, from 3.6 Mbps through existing capacity, to 10Mbps down-
stream, and 1Mbps upstream, which we believe is a unique proposal. In
the build-up to the end-2010 launch of Ka-Sat we are using Ka-band
capacity on Hot Bird 6 and Ku-band capacity on Eurobird 3 to develop
the market and build relationships with service providers across Europe
who include telcos, ISPs, retailers and specialist satellite service
providers. This is an important phase for building awareness and prepar-
ing the ground for the mass-market scale that will come with Ka-Sat.
Lessons learned from the downturn The long-term nature of many
of our contracts and the fact that the transmission services we supply
represent a vital link in the broadcasting chain have buffered Eutelsat
during the credit crunch. Pay-TV clients across our main markets in
Europe and Africa have in fact continued to ramp up and diversify their
offer of channels and services, adding additional HD premium content
into the mix which has seen the number of HD channels broadcasting
from our video neighbourhoods go beyond 100. Income from video
activity increased by almost 5% during the last financial year and by
over 13% for data and broadband services, confirming sustained
demand from markets in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and central
Asia. Our main challenge is actually to increase capacity as quickly and
as efficiently as possible. At the end of the first half of our financial year
we were operating with a fill factor of 97% which impacted on our scope
for flexibility. With the launches of Hot Bird 9, Hot Bird 10 and W2A, and
the subsequent redeployment of five satellites already in-orbit, our fill
rate by end June 2009 was down to a more reasonable 88%. This gives
us more headroom for manoeuvre and takes us closer to our preferred
Giuliano Berretta is stepping down as CEO of Eutelsat this year after a fill factor in the range of 80%.
decade leading the Paris-based satellite operator, during which he over-
saw the transformation of what was then still an intergovernmental Likely breakthrough service or technology It might take a bit more
organisation and its development into a highly successful commercial than one year, but we believe that 3D holds the potential of being a
entity. He will continue to serve as chairman. strong new market for the broadcasting community. At Eutelsat, we
have been building up experience and developing partnerships on 3D for
Highlights from the last year We believe that the last 12 months have the last 18 months. Since the beginning of 2009 we have moved into a
anchored satellites even further as an indispensable player in fast and phase of active demonstrations of the 3D transmission chain, from film-
equitable digitisation of broadcast and broadband environments. An ing to live viewing. We have also opened a permanent 3D satellite chan-
increasing number of countries are integrating satellites as a core com- nel at our 9° East neighbourhood. Two types of 3D market will evolve,
ponent of DTT networks, for cost-efficient delivery of channels to terres- and we want to play in both. The first, already emerging, is the “out-of-
trial headends and broadcasting channels DTH in “shadow areas”. In home” experience of 3D viewing of films, concerts and sports events in
June this year, for example, we launched the Fransat service which public locations. We believe that 3D will be also be a compelling product
enables satellite homes in France already equipped for DTH reception of for cinemas which are gradually moving towards digitisation and which
national analogue channels from Atlantic Bird 3, to switch to digital with will need satellites as part of the content delivery solution. The studios
a subscription-free service offering France’s 18 DTT channels, France 3 are already showing the way, with 34 feature films set to be released in
regional channels, and four HD channels. It is equally clear that to 3D in 2009 and another 40 scheduled to premiere in 2010. We are part
achieve objectives of universal broadband access, countries are mobilis- of a big effort to digitise cinema, creating a network that will also make
ing multiple technologies and satellite is core to reaching homes not the transmission of 3D a reality to cinemas. The second stereoscopic
served by ADSL and fibre. The Ka-Sat satellite is a typical example of our market will be in consumer homes. In this field BSkyB is once again a
approach. It is a revolutionary satellite that changes the economic equa- first mover, initiating filming of stereoscopic versions of game shows to
tion for consumer satellite broadband, aligning consumer subscriber develop its 3D library. As is already the case for HD, the bandwidth avail-
costs with terrestrial services. With new technology on this satellite, we able through satellite makes it the best-placed broadcast platform for
will be able to reduce cost per bit by eight compared to other satellites, responding to requirements for this new generation of premium content.
Visit us at at www.digitaltveurope.net
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