The CASBAA Convention 2009 to be held in Hong Kong from November 3-6,  is the only industry event in Asia that unites leading visionaries and influencers from satellite, cable TV, broadband, content providers, online platforms, telecommunications, technology, advertising and regulatory organizations in Asia’s 14 markets, which now account for 315m subscription television subscribers.

It was business as usual at CommunicAsia 2009 as 54,354 attendees congregated at Asia’s largest media and IT trade event from June 16-19. Of the total number of attendees, 49 per cent came from outside of Singapore, hailing from about 100 countries across Asia-Pacific, Europe, US and the Middle-East.

Embracing the world of media--Telcos, mobile network operators and ISPs are now as much a part of the media business as broadcasters, cable networks and satellite services. Each is fighting for its fair share of the revenues from what is still a healthy business. But everyone has to collaborate to make the content become a reality.

by Virgil Labrador, Editor-in-Chief

The Satellite Industry Association(SIA) released its 2009 State of the Satellite Industry Report at the ISCe 2009 conference in San Diego, June 3rd. The results of the report show a 19 percent growth in overall world satellite industry revenues – with revenues totaling $144.4 billion in 2008. Global revenues for the satellite industry continue to increase, averaging an annual growth rate of 14.2 percent from 2003 – 2008. Meanwhile, Euroconsult is projecting the industry will grow 50% in the next decade.

In the course of my work as a consultant and executive recruiter based in Asia, I have spoken to over 150 satellite and digital broadcast sales, business development and senior management professionals in the last six months on the prospects of the Asian market. The consensus among key satellite executives is that the business of satellite communications in Asia continues to grow and is better off than other regional markets by "a significant margin."

The total satellite industry today is estimated to produce about 1% of global communications revenues. Anybody care to try for 2%?  At the 2009 NAB Show, the  World Teleport Association and Society of Satellite Professionals International produced another year of their Content Distribution Forum on the show floor. Attendance was great despite the decline in overall exhibition traffic in this year of recession, which is having such an impact on the media business.

The 8th annual ISCe Conference. ISCe 2009, scheduled for June 2-4 in San Diego, California, will focus on SATCOM solutions for homeland security, disaster recovery and support for warfighters in the pursuit of victory. ISCe 2009 will provide attendees with unprecedented access to key military and civil agency decision makers.  

With a new Administration in Washington, D.C., spending priorities across the board are being analyzed and reviewed. The results of this scrutiny could have significant ramification

Satellite TV is the biggest money maker for the overall satellite industry, creating investment, subscriber base and wealth. It rests on the solid revenue footing from a food chain that ranges from the end user paying for subscriptions to networks that collect from advertisers and affiliates like TV stations and cable systems. However, we are witnessing a new business model that provides a free service to end users who only need to buy reception equipment consisting of a dish with a digital set-top-box.

Not too long ago when someone got on the internet the chances were it was to do email or to search for information. In other words communication was mainly one to one and users were primarily consumers of information. With a few exceptions these were not time sensitive pursuits and were heavily biased towards downstream communications. Not any more. Many users have become participants creating, sharing and commenting on content. This will come as no surprise to anyone with children in their teens or twenties, as this change in usage is being driven by them – the Millennial Generation.

by Tom Watts, CEO Watts Capital Partners

The current credit crisis and global recession has pressured satellite industry balance sheets around the world. The question, "Will they run out of cash?" has been asked with increasing frequency about many satellite companies that just months earlier looked forward to seemingly bright futures. While the public equity markets and many sources of debt financing have closed to satellite companies, the market for PIPEs, or Private Investments in Public Equity, offers a potential solution. In fact, the PIPEs market already has been the financial savior of at least one high-profile satellite operator.