Eutelsat announces headline results of 2016 TV Observatory in Middle East and North Africa:
Satellite consolidates place as core digital infrastructure, reaching into 91% of TV homes (56.1 million)
Eutelsat/Nilesat 7/8 West neighbourhood first choice for multi-channel viewing: offers broadcasters access to 52.3 million homes in 14 Arab countries
HD gaining traction: 24 million TV homes now HD-equipped
Dubai, Paris, 16 November 2016 - Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL) today unveiled the results of its new survey on TV reception modes and trends across the Middle East and North Africa.
Michel Azibert, Eutelsat Chief Commercial and Development Officer, commented on the figures: Our 2016 survey takes the pulse of the vibrant Arab TV market and throws up key trends that include the acceleration of High Definition broadcasting and the diversity of free-to-air channels in the region. The survey confirms the pole position of Eutelsat's 7/8 West neighbourhood that today enables TV channels to reach into more than 52.3 million homes in 14 Arab countries. The new wave of growth also reflects last year's launch of the EUTELSAT 8 West B satellite that has generated a 37% hike in High Definition channels and further consolidated 7/8 West as the video neighbourhood of reference in the Middle East and North Africa.
Satellite: the preferred digital infrastructure across Middle East and North Africa
Overall, satellite in the MENA region remains the backbone of digital TV infrastructure, reaching into 56.1 million homes. This represents more than 90% of the 61.1 million TV homes from Morocco to the Gulf States. Three out of four of the 3.4 million homes in 14 Arab countries that have adopted satellite over the last three years have preferred the 7/8 West neighbourhood that hosts Eutelsat and Nilesat satellites.
Eutelsat 7/8 West neighbourhood: first choice for multi-channel viewing
Eutelsat's 7/8 West neighbourhood has further anchored its leading position, with reach into 52.3 million homes in 14 Arab countries,up 2.6 million since 2014. At equal perimeter, there is 7% growth in the six Arab countries surveyed in both 2014 and 2016 that represent 76% of TV homes in the region. The pull of 7/8 West is driven by a strong channel line-up of 1,264 Arabic and international channels, of which 149 in High Definition, and the diversity and exclusivity of free-to-air content (44% of channels are exclusive to this position).
HDTV: one in three TV homes equipped
HD is gaining traction, with the number of HD-equipped homes crossing a threshold of 20 million, up from 14.4 million and now accounting for 34% of TV homes in the region. This percentage is even higher within the 7/8 West audience (46%). Meanwhile, 50% of interviewed panellists were aware of Ultra HD. GfK data reveals that 1.2 million Ultra HD sets were sold by the end of 2015.
About the Eutelsat TV Observatory
Eutelsat's TV Observatory is an extensive multi-national analysis of TV reception modes and trends carried in 51 audiovisual markets in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Working with TNS and IPSOS, new analysis in 14 Arab-speaking MENA markets was carried out in March-April 2016 via face-to-face interviews with over 10,000 consumers in six markets (Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, UAE) accounting for 76% of TV homes in the region, complemented by secondary research data. The study excludes hotels, public administration buildings, hospitality structures and other countries included in the 7/8 West footprint such as Mauritania, Sudan and Ethiopia.
About Eutelsat Communications
Established in 1977, Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is one of the worlds leading and most experienced operators of communications satellites. The company provides capacity on 38 satellites to clients that include broadcasters and broadcasting associations, pay-TV operators, video, data and Internet service providers, enterprises and government agencies.
Eutelsat's satellites provide ubiquitous coverage of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, enabling video, data, broadband and government communications to be established irrespective of a user's location.
Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports around the globe, Eutelsat represents a workforce of 1,000 men and women from 37 countries who are experts in their fields and work with clients to deliver the highest quality of service.
For more about Eutelsat please visit www.eutelsat.com
Press
Vanessa O'Connor Tel: 33 1 53 98 37 91 voconnor@eutelsat.com
Marie-Sophie Ecuer Tel: 33 1 53 98 37 91 mecuer@eutelsat.com
Investors and analysts
Joanna Darlington Tel. : 33 1 53 98 35 30 jdarlington@eutelsat.com
C dric Pugni Tel. : 33 1 53 98 35 30 cpugni@eutelsat.com
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Eutelsat announces headline results of 2016 TV Observatory in Middle East and North Africa:
