Satellite Television (DBS, DTH, DSat, DVB-S, DVB-S2) News

COVID-19 will accelerate pay-TV revenue decline in Australia
Jul 10, 2020 – Pay-TV service revenue in Australia is set to decline at a CAGR of 3.2% from $2.6bn in 2019 to $2.2bn in 2024 due to declining cable and DTH TV subscriptions and falling pay-TV ARPU, according to GlobalData.
News categories: GlobalData, Deepa Dhingra, Australia, Cable TV, COVID-19, Digital TV, IPTV, Market Research, Satellite

Sky Q adds smart new features
Jul 8, 2020 – Sky is adding new features to its Sky Q set-top box. An expanded view UI, simple new show and sports centres, intuitive smart buttons and improved voice discovery will make it easier to browse, find and watch TV.
News categories: Sky, Fraser Stirling, Digital TV, Satellite, Set Top Box, UK, UX

Eros Now partners with Dish TV India
Jun 30, 2020 – Eros Now (NYSE: EROS) has announced a partnership with Dish TV. As part of the association, Dish TV & D2H users can access Eros Now's massive content library through their Android STBs – Dish SMRT Hub and D2H Stream.
News categories: Eros Now, Dish TV India, Ali Hussein, Anil Dua, Apps, Digital TV, India, OTT, Satellite, Set Top Box

TRAI reports pay TV numbers for India at end-2019
Jun 30, 2020 – According to TRAI, Pay DTH had an average active subscriber base of 69.98 million at 31st December 2019. At the same time there were 13 MSOs and 1 HITS operator with a subscriber base of more than one million.
News categories: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, Cable TV, Digital TV, India, Satellite, Subscribers

DTH free-to-air bouquets spreading across sub-Saharan Africa
Jun 25, 2020 – DTH free-to-air bouquets are spreading across sub-Saharan Africa. These offers, which bundle FTA channels and a set-top box, are currently received by more than 8 million households in the region, according to Dataxis.
News categories: Dataxis, Africa, Digital TV, Market Research, Satellite

Satellite TV gains popularity in Ghana and Nigeria
Jun 25, 2020 – An SES survey has revealed a steady increase in the penetration of satellite TV across Africa. The study shows an increase in SES reach from 33 million African households in 2018 to 35 million households in 2019.
News categories: SES S.A, Clint Brown, Cable TV, Digital TV, Ghana, IPTV, Market Research, Nigeria, Satellite, Subscribers, Terrestrial

Pay TV subscribers in Portugal up 160,000 in 1Q 2020
Jun 19, 2020 – According to Anacom, pay TV in Portugal added 160 thousand subscribers in the 1st quarter, corresponding to a 4% increase year-on-year. At the end of March, this type of service had 4.1 million subscribers.
News categories: Anacom, Cable TV, Digital TV, IPTV, Market Research, Portugal, Satellite

ATEME and SES show live over-the-air UHD broadcast using VVC
Jun 9, 2020 – ATEME has partnered with SES, VideoLabs and IETR to show UHD satellite transmission using Versatile Video Coding (VVC). The test transmission carried a UHD (4K) video stream using the new standard.
News categories: ATEME, SES S.A., VideoLabs, IETR, Mickaël Raulet, Thomas Wrede, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Europe, Media Player, Satellite

United Group makes strategic investment in Forthnet
May 29, 2020 – United Group has agreed to acquire the debt and a significant minority interest in Forthnet. The transaction will see United Group acquire all of the company’s loan obligations, the convertible debt and an initial 36% of the company’s shares.
News categories: United Group, Forthnet, BC Partners, Victoriya Boklag, Panos Papadopoulos, Nikos Stathopoulos, Digital TV, Greece, MnA, Satellite