PARIS and ROME, April 18,
2013 /PRNewswire/ --
New study confirms Eutelsat's HOT BIRD
position as the first choice for satellite TV viewers, chosen by
7.3 million Italian homes
Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) today revealed the
first results of its new survey on TV reception modes and trends
across its global footprint, with a presentation in Rome of the Italian broadcasting landscape.
Working in collaboration with Ipsos, Eutelsat announced that 8.2
million homes are now equipped with a Direct-to-Home antenna,
consolidating the role of satellites as a core broadcast
infrastructure serving one in three TV homes in Italy.
Eutelsat's HOT BIRD satellites, the longstanding reference for
multi-channel viewing across Italy, account for 7.3 million
homes, showing a gain of over 200,000 homes in 24 months. A
further 700,000 homes are equipped to watch satellite TV from other
Eutelsat neighbourhoods, led by EUTELSAT 16A, EUTELSAT 9A and
EUTELSAT 7 West A. Over nine out of ten satellite homes in
Italy are served by a Eutelsat
satellite.
HOT BIRD: the preferred
neighbourhood
Eutelsat's HOT BIRD broadcast satellites, already home
to 378 Italian TV channels, have anchored their
position as the platform of choice for exclusive Free-to-Air and
pay-TV channels. HOT BIRD is also becoming the first port of call
for the fast-growing HDTV market. The Sky Italia pay-TV
platform has a subscriber base of 4.8 million homes at the HOT BIRD
position and is driving HDTV take-up, with three out of four
subscribers watching over 50 channels in HD. A total of 2.4 million
Italian households are watching free-to-air channels, of which
over 1.5 million are equipped for DTH reception of
TivùSat, the satellite DTT platform, up from 1.3
million homes since the switch-off of Italy's analogue broadcasting network in
July 2012.
Satellite: a core digital
infrastructure
Overall, Italy's satellite TV
universe continues to expand and is the second most popular route
to multi-channel viewing. Of a nationwide base of 24.7 million TV
homes one out of three has opted for satellite reception of pay or
free-to-air channels. Sixteen million homes watch TV via the
terrestrial network, while only 250,000 homes, in highly urban
districts, are IPTV subscribers.
Jean-François Leprince-Ringuet, Eutelsat's Chief Commercial
Officer, commented on the figures: "Satellite continues to make
inroads in Italy's
digital broadcasting landscape and we believe that the move to
higher quality in the form of HD, 3D and for the future, 4K, will
further consolidate its place as a core infrastructure. Our new
survey reveals that Eutelsat's satellites, our
investments and our partnership models enable broadcasters to
optimise their reach across Italy
and enable viewers to benefit from both choice and
quality."
Eutelsat's two-yearly TV Reception Barometer, produced in
collaboration with Ipsos, is an extensive multi-national analysis
of TV reception modes and trends. The market research in
Italy was carried out from
September 2012 to November 2012 via face-to-face interviews.
About IPSOS http://www.ipsos.com
Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and
managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a
worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets.
In October 2011 Ipsos completed the
acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third
largest market research company. With offices in 85
countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research
specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media,
public affairs research, and survey management. Ipsos researchers
assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop
and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships
with their customers. They test advertising and study audience
responses to various media and they measure public opinion around
the globe. Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since
1999 and generated global revenues of €1,789 million (2,300 million USD) in 2012.
For further information: Sandra
Freidman
Sandra.freidman@ipsos.com; Tel: +33-1-41-98-91-24
About Eutelsat Communications
(http://www.eutelsat.com)
Eutelsat Communications is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.
With capacity commercialised on 30 satellites delivering reach of
Europe, the Middle East,
Africa, Asia, significant parts of the Americas and
the Asia-Pacific, Eutelsat
Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is
one of the world's leading satellite operators. As of 31 December 2012 Eutelsat's satellites were
broadcasting 4,500 television channels to over 200 million cable
and satellite homes in Europe, the
Middle East and Africa. The Group's satellites also provide a
wide range of services for TV contribution, corporate networks and
fixed and mobile broadband markets. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ
over 780 commercial, technical and operational professionals from
30 countries.
SOURCE Eutelsat Communications and IPSOS