Satellite grows in Ukraine

Twenty-two per cent of TV homes in Ukraine now receive signals via satellite, according to satellite operator SES, with 98% of those homes – 3.6 million – receiving signals from SES’s satellites.

According to the SES Satellite Monitor, carried out in conjunction with the Establishment Survey and conducted by GfK Ukraine, terrestrial and cable distribution fell slightly last year, down from eight million terrestrial homes in 2011 to 7.6 million in 2012, with a drop in cable homes from 5.8 million to 5.2 million.

According to the survey, satellite is the dominant digital platform, with 86% of the country’s 4.3 million digital households being satellite homes. Eighty-four per cent of HD homes receive signals via satellite.

Most Ukrainian satellite homes receive signals from the Astra 4A and Astra 1G satellites at 5° East and 31.5° East respectively. The 31.5° East position will be boosted by the launch later this year of Astra 5B.