The number of video households served by SES has continued to increase, reaching 351 million homes in 2017 compared with 325 million in 2016, according to the company’s annual market research. This means that the company is now delivering video content to more than 1 billion global viewers.
SES’s increased technical reach reflects the expansion of the survey with the addition of new countries (Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda and Turkey) and the wider reach of Yahlive, namely in the Maghreb countries, together accounting for 17 million more homes. On a like-for-like basis, the technical reach grew by 9 million homes, mainly in Nigeria, Ghana and the Middle East.
Out of its 351 million TV homes, SES directly reaches 145 million and indirectly serves another 147 million cable homes, 40 million IPTV homes and 18 million terrestrial homes.
The study also shows the key role of SES to deliver HD content: today, the company delivers HD content to 107 million homes, which represents two-thirds of all European TV homes enjoying HD. It also carries 2,602 HD channels worldwide, out of 7,709 channels in total. In Europe, the company delivers 2,670 TV channels, including 798 in HD. Advanced TV reported that SES now has 28 UltraHD channels.
The report shows that Europe continues to be a strong and resilient market where satellite broadcasting is a highly attractive platform for reliable and cost-effective video delivery to large audiences. The company now reaches 167 million homes in Europe, up from 156 million in 2016. This growth is mainly driven by the addition of Turkey and the additional reach of Yahlive in the Maghreb countries, which together represent an increase of 10 million homes. Technical reach across core markets in Europe was stable.
In Africa, SES now reaches 30 million homes. In West Africa, the company has seen a strong growth with an increase from 3 million homes to 11 million in Nigeria, and from 2 million to 4 million in Ghana. Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania account for 7 million homes. Through Yahlive, a joint venture with Yahsat, the company serves 13 million homes in the Middle East and South West Asia, up from 11 million in 2016. SES reaches 32 million homes in Asia-Pacific, 75 million in North America and 33 million in Latin America. Ferdinand Kayser, CEO of SES Video, said:
“The Satellite Monitor shows that our strategy to invest in growth markets is successful and results in a significantly larger geographical reach. We continue to leverage our growing, unique technical reach worldwide to help our customers build their businesses and expand their audiences. In Africa, our infrastructure will continue to play a key role in the digital switch-over, while in developed countries, namely Europe, our satellites remain the leading platform to deliver HD and drive Ultra HD to millions of households. We are also strongly supporting the development and roll-out of HD and Ultra HD in the Americas and Asia Pacific”.
