Eutelsat benefits from mobile and broadband growth

Eutelsat 172B

Satellite operator Eutelsat’s full-year performance was boosted by its mobile and broadband businesses as traditional video, data and government services revenues continued to decline.

Eutelsat posted revenues of €1.478 billion, down 2.2% on a like-for-like basis. Video revenues were down 3.3% to €908 million, while mobile and broadband revenues grew by 22.5% and 18.4% respectively.

Overall EBITDA was €1.337 billion, down 2.7%.

Eutelsat nevertheless said its video business had performed well, boosted by Significant contract renewals in Europe and in MENA with Arqiva at 28° East, and Digiturk at 7° East as well as a multi-year, multi-transponder contract with NTV-Plus on Express-AT2 to reach homes in Far Eastern Russia and incremental capacity on Express-AT1 to consolidate coverage of Siberia.

Eutelsat announced the renewal of its Digiturk deal yesterday. The BeIN Media-owned Turkish pay TV group is using 17 transponders on the Eutelsat 7A satellite to deliver its pay TV service. Digiturk broadcasts 221 channels to approximately 3.5 million subscriber homes.

“During the past year, we have delivered or over-delivered on all our financial commitments,” said CEO Rodolphe Belmer. He said the company was “laying the foundations for long term value-creation, with a strong focus on securing durable capex efficiencies while paving the way for step up in growth in the early 2020s, supported by our Connectivity verticals.”