News Analysis

Swiss IoT Startup Astrocast Secures US$ 9.2 Mil. in Series A Funding

Ecublens, Switzerland, September 4, 2019--Astrocast, a Switzerland-based Internet of Things (IoT) nanosatellite network, has secured US$ 9.2 (€8.3M)  Series A round of funding to accelerate production of IoT modules, to begin commercial phase and deployment of the its Low Earth Orbit (LEO) IoT network.

Angels, Arianes and English Roses

by Lou Zacharilla

New York City, NY, September 3, 2019--The uncomfortable co-existence among science, technology and religion is a few centuries old.  For a long while the three disciplines tried to stay in their own lane and tried to avoid swerving into the others’ lane.  But a collision was inevitable.  The crash has given us a toxic political and social climate at times, and made us mistrust each of the three disciplines. 

 

The Evolving Broadcast Market

by Elisabeth Tweedie

Los Angeles, Calif., Sept. 3, 2019 — It will come as no surprise to anyone in this industry who is paying attention to what has been happening over the last few years, to hear me say that the industry is in a state of flux.  This is hardly news, but the pace appears to be accelerating and things that have been talked about for the last several years, are either reality or now very close to be becoming so.

 

AsiaSat Shareholders Approve Privatisation Proposal

Hong Kong, Aug. 27, 2019 — Bowenvale Limited and Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited (HKSE: 1135; 1135.HK  jointly announced that the proposal for the privatisation of AsiaSat by way of a scheme of arrangement has been approved at the court meeting today.

Media Content Kudelski Group Suffers US$20.4 Mil. Loss in 1H 2019

Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland, Aug. 21, 2019 — The Kudelski Group (SIX: KUD.S), a provider of media content protection and value-added service technology, has reported a net loss of US$20.4 million, which included US$13.7 million of restructuring costs, during the first half of 2019.

Amos-17 Satellite Launch, Cape Canaveral, Florida

 

Coverage of the launch of Spacecom's Amos-17 satellite by Spacex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, August 6, 2019 with Satellite Markets and Research Editor-in-Chief Virgil Labrador.

AsiaSat 1H Revenue Down 5% to US$88.39 Million

Hong Kong, Aug. 9, 2019 — Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited (SEHK: 1135) announced today its revenue dropped 5% to US$88.39 million (HK$693 million) primarily due to non-renewal of certain customer contracts in mid-2018 and the continued pricing pressures from capacity oversupply in some key markets.

Viasat Revenue Rises 22% to US$537 Mil, Posts US$ 11.5-M Loss in Q1 FY20

Carlsbad, Calif., Aug. 8, 2019 -- Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), reported strong first quarter fiscal year 2020 performance with a year-over-year revenue increase of 22%, net loss decrease of 66% and Adjusted EBITDA growth of 115% for the fiscal first quarter ended June 30, 2019.

EchoStar Posts Lower Income in 1Q and 1H of 2019

Englewood, Colo., Aug. 8, 2019 -- Shares of EchoStar Corp. declined 7.3% following the company’s 2Q19 earnings release, reflecting disappointment with the company’s subpar EBITDA performance and one-time charges. Following the decline, shares of EchoStar  are now trading at 4.9x the consensus 2020 EBITDA forecast, which represents a discount to both the stock’s long-term average and its closes peer group competitor Viasat.