Eutelsat 3Q revenues up 4.6% to US$ 422.76M

Paris, France, May 8, 2013 — Eutelsat Communications posted US$422.76 million (€322.9 million) revenues for the third quarter of fiscal year 2012-2013, up 4.6 percent, and recorded nine-month revenues of  US$1.25 billion (€956.5 million), up 5 percent from the same period last year.

The European satellite operator said it now has a record backlog of US$7.2 billon (€5.5 billion) with revenue outlook for FY 2012-2013 in the 5-6 percent range and an EBITDA margin of around 77.5 percent.

Michel de Rosen, CEO of Eutelsat, said the performance of video, its main business, accounting for almost 70 percent of revenues, was underpinned by sustained demand at key neighborhoods over Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.  

“The record order backlog of US$7.2 billon (€5.5 billion) was buoyed in particular by new long-term video contracts in North Africa and the Middle East, lending strong visibility on future revenues. We are pursuing our program to deploy capacity on seven additional satellites by end 2015 to enable us to meet demand in the highest growth applications and regions, with the first, Eutelsat 3D, on track for launch on May 14,” he said.

Eutelsat said revenues from video applications, the company’s largest business activity, rose 2.6 percent to US$283.32 million (€216.4 million). Growth was driven by three video neighborhoods — 16° East, serving broadcasters in Central Europe and Indian Ocean Islands, 7° East, with coverage of Turkey, and 5° West, notably serving France and Algeria.

The company said its three Hot Bird positions continued to grow, as long-term contracts in the backlog translated into revenues. The three Hot Bird satellites were broadcasting 1,117 channels in March, with HD penetration at 13.5 percent, up from 11.4 percent a year earlier.

As of end of March 2013, Eutelsat was broadcasting 4,638 channels, up 9 percent (+386 channels) year-on-year. 434 of these channels were in High Definition (+30 percent), implying an HD penetration rate across the fleet of 9.4 percent, compared to 7.8 percent at 31 March 2012.

The company’s data services revenues stood at US$61.14 million (€46.7 million) (+3.8 percent), reflecting the integration of Eutelsat 172A into the fleet.