Global Markets - Latest Developments


London, UK,  Oct. 18, 2013

BSkyB showed strength across all its products during the first quarter of fiscal 2013 with plenty of highlights. During the first three months ended 30 September 2013, BSkyB snatched 800,000 new paid-for subscription products for a 50% year on year growth. Sky Broadband surpassed 5 million customers with 111,000 net new broadband customers added in the quarter, up 9% year on year, while triple play penetration rose to 36%, up 3 percentage points.

Brussels, Belgium, October 17, 2013

With high-speed satellite broadband now available in all 28 EU countries, Europe today reached a major milestone in its drive to bridge the Digital Divide. The opportunity of broadband for all became a reality with the launch of satellite broadband services in the Baltics, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania being the last countries to be added to a network of service providers across Member States.

Ottawa, Canada,  October 16, 2013

C-COM Satellite Systems Inc., a leading global provider of mobile auto-deploying satellite antenna systems, today announced financial results for its third quarter ending August 31, 2013.The company reported  a net profit of CDN $ 353,978 or 1.0 cent per share compared with results for the same period last year when there was a net profit of $65,625, or 0.2 cents per share. The working capital of the company increased by 27% to CDN $17,271,614 at August 31, 2013 compared to CDN $13,577,437 at August 31, 2012.

Betzdorf, Luxembourg, October 16, 2013

SES S.A. operator of a global fleet of 54 communication satellites, has successfully placed a €500 million 5-year Euro bond. The bond, issued by SES Global Americas Holdings GP and guaranteed by SES S.A., was priced today with a coupon of 1.875% (Mid-Swap +73bp). SES is rated Baa2/BBB/BBB (all stable). Proceeds of issuance will be used to refinance existing debt.

Washington, DC, Oct. 16, 2013

The biggest U.S. media companies have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rule Aereo Inc., which provides broadcast signals to online viewers, as an illegal operation. Petitioners to the suit include — Walt Disney Co., 21st Century Fox Inc., Comcast Corp. (CMCSA)’s NBCUniversal, CBS Corp. (CBS), Univision Communications Inc., the Public Broadcasting Service and station WNET, and Tribune Co. owned New York station WPIX — filed the petition on Friday with the court after litigation in lower courts failed to stop Aereo.

Dubai, UAE, October 13, 2013

The proliferation of smart devices, mobile broadband and connected TV in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa), has opened up a wealth of possibility for operators to maximise on the revenue opportunities presented by CDNs (Content Delivery Networks). The region’s premier event in connected entertainment, TV Connect MENA, will provide the ideal platform next month for industry leaders to delve into the topic of monetising the network.

Rochelle Park, NJ – Oct. 10, 2013

ORBCOMM Inc., a provider of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) solutions, and Savi Technology, a provider of sensor-based analytics and radio-frequency identification (RFID) solutions, today announced a strategic relationship to provide advanced location-based monitoring solutions to government and commercial markets.

Houston, TX, Oct. 9, 2013

RigNet, Inc. has entered into a new credit agreement with Bank of America, N.A. for its business expansion.The new agreement gave RigNet a US$ 60 million term loan and a US$ 125 million revolving credit facility, which includes a US$15 million sublimit for the issuance of standby letters of credit.

The company had an outstanding loan of US$ 54.6 million prior to the new agreement with Bank of America. The bank, which is the credit facility’s administrative agent, has been RigNet's strategic financing partner since 2009.

London, UK, October 9, 2013

The number of TV sets connected to the Internet will reach 759 million by 2018 for 40 countries covered in the Connected TV Forecasts report, up from 115 million  at end-2010 and the 307 million expected at end-2013. This translates to 26.8% of 
global TV sets by 2018, up from only 5.1% at end-2010 and 12.4% by end-2013. 

Connected TV is becoming more international. The US will still command a third of  connected TV sets by end-2013, but this proportion will fall to 23.5% by 2018. China will climb from 6.6% of the 2013 total to 16.4% by 2018. 

Iroquois, Ontario, Canada, October 8, 2013

Canadian video production technology company, Ross Video, has acquired MCP – Mobile Content Providers, a premium full service mobile sports production packager based in South Florida, USA.

Ross said it plans to transform MCP into a national mobile production company to be called Ross MCP.

MCP has served many major Sports Networks, Universities and International organizations, and has successfully delivered premium content at affordable prices.  In addition to providing crew and equipment, MCP also takes on producer responsibilities providing a full service solution.