Eutelsat boosted by video gains

Eutelsat reported revenue growth for its core video activities in the three months ending September 30, thanks to added capacity in high-growth markets.

Announcing figures for its fiscal first quarter, Eutelsat said that revenues from video applications were up 3.2% to €227.6 million, representing 65.1% of group revenues.

The firm said that the increase reflected the entry into service of the Express-AT1 satellite, which was operational for the full quarter, along with additional resources added at 7°/8° West in September 2013 and a good performance from Satmex Video applications

These more than offset the impact of the suspension of operations on certain frequencies at 28.5° East in October 2013, Eutelsat said.

As of September 30, the total number of channels broadcast by Eutelsat satellites stood at 5,788. Excluding Satmex’s 322channels, the channel count was up 16% year-on-year to 753.

“Our core video activity saw a further pick-up in revenue growth reflecting capacity added in the past year serving high-growth markets. Regional trends in data remained mixed, with ongoing tough conditions in EMEA but good momentum in Latin America,” said Eutelsat chairman and CEO Michel de Rosen.

“Growth in value-added services remained robust on the back of the continued uptake on KA-SAT. Government services benefited from new contracts and the good performance of Satmex.”

Overall, Eutelsat said revenues were up 4.2% year-on-year on a like-for-like basis to €357.6 million.