SES reiterates outlook as media renewals top €400m
July 30, 2026 13.02 Europe/London By Julian Clover


Satellite operator SES has reaffirmed its full-year financial guidance after reporting strong growth in its Networks business, while saying its Media division performed in line with expectations during the first half of 2026.

Media revenue increased 46.5% year-on-year, reflecting the inclusion of Intelsat following its acquisition, although SES indicated underlying performance remained broadly in line with expectations for the broadcast market.

The company said it secured more than €400 million in media contract renewals during the first six months of the year, underscoring what it described as the continued importance of satellite for large-scale video distribution.

“Satellite remains the most efficient and reliable platform for large-scale content distribution,” CEO Adel Al-Saleh said.

Across the group, SES signed €1.2 billion of new business and contract renewals, taking its contracted backlog to €6.4 billion. The company reiterated its expectation that 2026 revenue and adjusted EBITDA will remain broadly stable on a like-for-like basis.

Beyond broadcast, SES continues to shift its business towards connectivity services. Networks revenue rose sharply during the period, driven by mobility and government markets, while the company reported continued commercial momentum in aviation connectivity, adding around 200 aircraft during the first half to take its electronically steered antenna-equipped fleet to more than 600 aircraft.

SES also confirmed that the next three O3b mPOWER satellites are scheduled for launch in the third quarter, increasing the capacity and resilience of its medium Earth orbit network.

The operator said negotiations on the first phase of the European Union’s IRIS² secure satellite programme are nearing completion, while development continues on meoSphere, its next-generation MEO constellation targeted for service by 2030.

Separately, SES welcomed the US FCC’s decision on clearing additional Upper C-band spectrum, saying the programme provides a path to approximately $5.6 billion in incentive payments as spectrum is repurposed for mobile services over the coming years.