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

Europe’s first free-to-air UHD channel to go live at IFA
Jul 8, 2015 – The shopping channel pearl.tv will start broadcasting in Ultra High Definition (UHD) via satellite and the internet to coincide with IFA Berlin in September. For its entrance into the UHD era, the channel will rely on the expertise of SES Platform Services.
News categories: SES Platform Services, Enstyle, Sophie Lersch, Dr. Michael Sichler, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Europe, IFABerlin, Satellite

EU seeks views on Europe's audiovisual media rules
Jul 6, 2015 – The European Commission has announced a public consultation on the current framework regulating Europe's audiovisual media landscape. The consultation seeks feedback from stakeholders (market players, public organisations, consumer organisations) but also from viewers themselves.
News categories: European Commission, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cable TV, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Digital TV, Estonia, EU, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, IPTV, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mobile, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Satellite, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Streaming, Sweden, Terrestrial, UK

Macedonia pay TV subscribers up 5.6% in 2014
Jul 1, 2015 – Macedonia's Agency for Electronic Communications (АЕК) has released its latest report on the country's communications market up to the 4th quarter of 2014. Macedonia finished 2014 with 359 thousand pay TV subscribers, up 5.6% year-on-year.
News categories: АЕК, Cable TV, Digital TV, IPTV, Macedonia, Market Research, Satellite, Subscribers, Terrestrial

Inverto adds new devices to its Unicable2 product range
Jul 1, 2015 – INVERTO has announced programmable LNB and Multiswitch products enabling installations with up to 32 satellite receivers connected over a single coax cable.
News categories: INVERTO, Gil Laifer, Yannick Laperche, Digital TV, LNB, Satellite, Smart Home, Worldwide

Pay TV subscribers in Costa Rica grew 14% in 2014
Jun 30, 2015 – Costa Rica’s Superintendency of Telecommunications (SUTEL) has released a report on the country’s telecommunications market for the period 2010 to 2014. Costa Rica ended 2014 with 732,546 pay TV subscribers, up 91,504 (14%) versus the end of 2013.
News categories: SUTEL, Cable TV, Costa Rica, Digital TV, IPTV, Market Research, MMDS, Satellite, Subscribers

Nigeria's CONSAT to offer CAMs from SmarDTV
Jun 30, 2015 – SmarDTV (SIX:KUD.S) has announced that Continental Satellite (CONSAT) in Nigeria will enhance its DTH service with SmarDTV conditional access modules. CONSAT TV will soon be available to any owner of an IDTV with a CI+ interface.
News categories: SmarDTV, CONSAT, Jerome Vial, Mayokun Okunola, CAM, Digital TV, Nigeria, Satellite, Smart TV

Pay TV STB market contracts for the first time in 12 years
Jun 29, 2015 – Pay TV operators purchased $15.3 billion worth of set-top boxes (STBs) in 2014, down from $15.9 billion in 2013. This decline represents the first contraction in the market since 2002, according to IHS (NYSE: IHS).
News categories: IHS Inc, Daniel Simmons, Cable TV, Digital TV, IPTV, Market Research, Satellite, Set Top Box, Worldwide

Thor 7 DTH satellite installed at 1°W
Jun 22, 2015 – Telenor Satellite Broadcasting (TSBc) has announced that THOR 7, which was successfully launched into geostationary transfer orbit on board an Ariane 5 launcher on April 26, 2015, has now completed its in-orbit testing and reached its final orbital location at 1° West.
News categories: Telenor Satellite Broadcasting, Morten Tengs, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Europe, Satellite

Pay TV market to reach 1.1 billion subscribers by 2020
Jun 19, 2015 – The worldwide pay-TV market surpassed more than 900 million subscribers in 1Q 2015, representing 48% penetration. The market is likely to grow steadily over the next 5 years, mainly boosted by emerging markets, according to ABI Research.
News categories: ABI Research, Jake Saunders, Khin Sandi Lynn, Cable TV, Digital TV, IPTV, Market Research, Satellite, Subscribers, Worldwide