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a huge benefit to consumers to support viewing FTA channels . And the clincher is that all the Sat . tv services are completely free-of-charge and work great even on really cheap receivers . And it doesn ’ t need Internet so that means the benefits of Sat . tv can be enjoyed even if your Internet is poor .” SATELLITE . Indeed , Sat . tv is enabling a major alternative to piracy . “ As I see it the Sat . tv services have been an essential first step towards improving the TV experience for the typical MENA consumer ,” says Lakos . “ It makes legal FTA TV easier and more appealing to navigate . It has moved us forward . The next step for the industry will be a bit harder : how to improve the monetisation process so that broadcasters earn more revenue that can be invested into more and better local content production .”
The region ’ s three giant local satellite operators , Arabsat , Nilesat and Es ’ hailSat , continue to flourish as far as direct-tohome ( DTH ) viewing is concerned . Indeed , Nilesat which had struggled over the past few years has now returned to positive profits . Nilesat announced on March 30 that it achieved a 12 % increase in profits for the year ended December 31 , 2023 . The company ’ s profits reached $ 43.754 million , compared to $ 38.967 million in 2022 .
Arabsat , Nilesat and Es ’ hailSat have also announced various ‘ strategic partnerships ’. Nilesat , via Es ’ hailSat , for example , now has access to the Arabsat orbital ‘ hot spot ’ of 25.5 / 26 degrees East , where Es ’ hailSat also has valuable satellite coverage . Es ’ hailSat , in return can now access Nilesat ’ s significant coverage from its 7 degrees West orbital position . Nilesat claims it has more than 1,000 channels beaming mostly FTA broadcasts over
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the MENA region .
GROWTH . “ This partnership represents
a significant development in the satellite
industry in the region ,” said Nilesat CEO
Sameh Katta . “ By combining the expertise
and resources of both companies , Nilesat and
Es ’ hailSat are well-positioned to meet the
evolving needs of customers in the region and
contribute to its economic growth . He noted
that the cooperation agreement would offer a
wide range of satellite solutions to customers
throughout the region .”
Meanwhile , Es ’ hailSat CEO Ali Ahmed
Al-Kuwari , said this agreement comes in the
wake of the rapid growth of the MENA region
economies , alongside global sporting events ,
which have led to an increase in demand from
its commercial and governmental clients .
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But April 2024 saw a major problem on an
Abu Dhabi satellite . Yahsat-owned Thuraya-3
suffered a major outage problem on April
15 . While the Boeing-built satellite is being
investigated , the operator has admitted that
its transmission services will be significantly
diminished . The craft was launched in 2008
and operated from 98.5 degrees East . It had
a planned design life of 15 years and was no
longer insured . Thuraya-3 provided L-band
mobile satellite services predominantly over
South and East Asia and the Pacific region .
Yahsat , in an announcement from CEO Ali
Al-Hashemi , said the satellite was safely
under control , and that it was working hard
to implement recovery coverage using other
satellites . The company operates Thuraya-2
from the 44 degrees East position and its
Thuraya-4 is under construction by Airbus for
launch later this year .
MERGER . Yahsat itself is in the process
of merging with Artificial Intelligence ( AI )
specialists Bayanat . They announced their
merger in December 2023 and received
shareholder approval on April 25 . The final
stage in the plan is to create a new , merged
holding company ‘ Space42 ’. The plan is
that Bayanat would hold 54 % of the merged
“ Internet delivery of video continues to grow , but it is quite uneven .” - Robert Lakos , consultant , MENA TV
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business , with YahSat holding 46 %.
Space42 will be an AI-powered space technology champion in the MENA region . The pair claim the merger would create one of the most valuable publicly listed space companies in the world with additional potential for significant global growth and synergies . On completion of the merger , Mansoor Al Mansoori will assume the role of Chairman , Dr Bakheet Al Katheeri Vice Chairman , and Karim Michel Sabbagh will join as MD . Sabbagh is a former CEO at SES . The combined companies will have a pro-forma revenue of some 2.8 billion Dirhams ( about $ 0.76 billion ) and net income of 637 million Dirhams ( about $ 173.45 million ) based on last year ’ s trading . ABS . There ’ s a slightly smaller , Dubai-based satellite operator in the shape of ABS . In April 2024 , ABS ( now rebranded Agility Beyond Space ) hired Mark Rigolle as its new CEO . Its previous CEO , Amit Somani , left “ for personal reasons ” after less than two years in post . Rigolle ’ s appointment is the latest in a somewhat long list of senior management changes . Somani had been recruited from Yahsat , and was part of the relocation of the former Asia Broadcast Satellite from a Bermuda domicile ( and Hong Kong base ) to Dubai .
Rigolle is more than entitled to be described as an industry veteran . He was CFO at SES and then CEO at O3b Networks . He co-founded Kacific Satellite and was CEO at LeoSat until it failed and also KLEO Connect . More recently he was COO at Rivada Space Networks .
Rigolle says : “ ABS is uniquely positioned to demonstrate how the sector can return to growth after many years of contraction . We have the assets , the people , the capabilities , and supportive shareholders to make that happen . I look forward to working with our current and future customers and partners as we support them in expanding their businesses .”
ABS reported its financial numbers in January with “ stable ” revenues of $ 68.9m and a reduced debt burden of $ 26.1m ( having paid down $ 15m in debt in August 2022 ). ABS is majority owned by Permira funds , which are advised by European Private Equity firm Permira .
Overall , the UAE itself has almost doubled its investment in the space sector over the past nine years , from Dirhams 22 billion (€ 5.6bn ) to more than Dirhams 40 billion .
In other words , satellite competition will stay as vigorous as ever !
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