“ We look forward to accelerating the roll-out of HD across the region , and to preparing and supporting our customers for the introduction of UHD .” – Omar Shoter , Noorsat
Arabia-based Mawarid Holdings conglomerate and , since its formation in 2004 , built up a very useful portfolio of clients under CEO Omar Shoter ( who used to run Arabsat ). Based mostly in Amman , Shoter and his team of some 40 staff will stay on under the new Eutelsat ownership , and – according to Eutelsat – integration of the “ more than 300 channels ” will now start . DEAL . The deal means that Eutelsat greatly consolidates its hold at the 7 / 8 ° West position , and has a large foot in the door at the Arabsat / Es ’ hailSat important 25 ° East orbital slot . Eutelsat , no doubt , has its eye on the trend from broadcasters to shift from Standard Definition to HDTV ( as many of Noorsat ’ s clients are still transmitting in SD .) Each channel that expands into HD means extra capacity and revenues for Eutelsat . Any thoughts of these – often modest – channels moving into Ultra HD is quite some time off .
Eutelsat also issued its MENA TV trends survey at the ASBU Selevision Summit in Dubai in November . The study revealed that satellite TV reception in the MENA region has continued to increase its market-share compared to terrestrial and IPTV , and now reaches into 59m homes . This represents 94 % of the 62.2m TV homes in 14 Arab-speaking countries , up from 92 % only 12 months prior . Eutelsat ’ s 7 / 8 ° West neighbourhood has further reinforced its pole position , with reach into 56.2m homes in 14 Arab countries , up 3.1m homes in only one year . The operator said that the attraction of 7 / 8 ° West for 95 % of the satellite homes in the region is driven by an exceptional line-up of over 1,200 Arabic and international channels , with a high diversity of free-to-air content and exclusivity ( 55 % of exclusive channels ). This latest audience growth also reflects the expanding offer of HD content at 7 / 8 ° West , up 34 % in 12 months to 179 channels ( 15 % of channels ). NEIGHBOURHOOD . Interestingly , the pace of adoption of HD is accelerating in the MENA region , with HD-equipped homes now reaching 28.2m , up from 17.7m in 12 months and representing 46 % of TV homes . This percentage is even more significant at the Eutelsat / Nilesat 7 / 8 ° West neighbourhood where more than 66 % of homes own HD displays .
“ Our 2017 survey confirms the dominance of satellite as the preferred digital infrastructure across the Middle East and North Africa and highlights key trends , notably the increasing significance of High Definition broadcasting ,” noted
Michel Azibert , Eutelsat chief commercial and development officer . “ It also confirms the 7 / 8 ° West neighbourhood as the prime gateway for broadcasters , reaching into over 56m homes from Morocco to the Gulf States . In addition to this capability , our complementary ‘ Hot Bird ’ neighbourhood broadcasts almost 80 Arabic channels , making it a compelling neighbourhood for reaching into millions of homes across Europe as well as in the Middle East and North Africa .”
Noorsat says it is ready to move forward in its next stage of opening and developing relationships in the Middle East . Shoter says he welcomes Eutelsat ’ s extended reach beyond the MENA and Gulf region , “ but it ’ s not just about extending reach . Customers will
“ Our 2017 survey confirms the dominance of satellite as the preferred digital infrastructure across the Middle East and North Africa .” – Michel Azibert , Eutelsat
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