SES takes worldwide reach to 361 million
MARCH 23, 2021 11.24 EUROPE/LONDON BY JULIAN CLOVER

Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES says it is now delivering almost 8,265 channels worldwide, including close to 3,000 in the HD format.

The company’s annual Satellite Monitor market research shows 361 million households worldwide are viewing TV content from an SES satellite.

In Europe there has been growth of 2 million households, and another 2 million in Africa.

At the Astra neighbourhood of 19.2 degrees East, SES’s satellites now serve 118 million households representing over 43% of all European TV homes. The number of TV homes receiving HD content from 19.2 degrees East also continued to increase to 84% representing an increase of almost 30% in five years.

Market

TV homes

Europe

170 million

North America

65 million

Latin America

42 million

Africa

37 million

Asia Pacific

33 million

Middle East

13 million

Source: SES Satellite Monitor

In Africa, SES has also seen its TV reach increase in the Ethiopian TV market as a result of establishing Ethiopia’s first-ever dedicated TV platform, Ethiosat, on NSS-12 at 57 degrees East. The TV penetration in Ethiopia has tripled compared to four years ago and is at 49 percent in YE 2020.

UHD screens increased 5 percentage points since 2019 and are now present in 20 percent of European TV homes.

Overall, SES’s reach to TV homes is marginally down this year largely due to a change in reporting methodology implemented by the regulatory authority in India requiring a new definition of active subscribers.