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% over the past five years.
SES continues to lead the industry by delivering 8,265 channels, with almost 3,000 of them in HD, to a total of 361m households worldwide. SES has announced the results of its annual Satellite Monitor market research, the industry’s premier accounting of satellite’s TV reach, which underscore SES’s established position as a leader in enabling direct and indirect content delivery via satellite.
The 2021 edition of the company’s annual Satellite Monitor showed continued growth across Europe with over 2m households, and Africa with around the same. At SES’s prime orbital neighbourhood of 19.2 degrees East, the company’s satellites now serve around 118m households or 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% over the past five years.
SES’s European reach now totals 170m homes. Key trends identified in the European market include satellite remaining the platform of choice for HD, representing nearly two-fifths of HD TV homes and almost the same as cable and IPTV homes combined. In addition, Ultra HD screens increased 5% points since 2019 and are now present in 20% of European TV homes. Interestingly the research found that over-the-top services were complementing and not replacing linear TV. Over the past five years OTT TV was shown to have grown by 138% whereas traditional linear TV – whether through satellite, cable, IPTV or terrestrial – has largely remained stable.
In Africa, SES saw 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. TV penetration in Ethiopia has tripled compared with four years ago and stood at 49% at the end of 2020. African regional TV home reach was 37m.
In other regions, SES claimed a reach of 65m in North America; 42m in Latin America; Asia Pacific 33m; and 13m in the Middle East.
Commenting on the research, SES CEO Steve Collar, said: “An industry bellwether report, this year’s Satellite Monitor survey once again confirms SES’s established leadership position in terms of our global reach combined with our focus on delivering the most immersive viewing experience through HD and UHD content. The Covid-19 pandemic has driven content consumption higher than ever, and in large parts of the world, linear TV remains the primary choice for people to consume news and information. We will continue to innovate to enable our video customers to reach as many audiences as possible via multiple screens.”
