News Analysis

US Satellite Imaging Services Market to Reach US$ 735.5 million by Year-end 2012

Santa Monica, Calif., April 24, 2012--IBISWorld expects industry revenue to reach US$ 735.5 million in 2012, representing 15.2% annualized growth since 2007. “Thanks to restructured contracts and increasing demand for industry products, revenue from commercial clients and other government agencies is rising,” says IBISWorld industry analyst Agata Kaczanowska.

Full text available to subscribers only

Orbital Reports Steady Growth in Revenues, Operating Income and Earnings Per Share

Dulles, Va., April 20, 2012-Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) today reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2012. First quarter 2012 revenues were $338.0 million, up 6% compared to $317.7 million in the first quarter of 2011. First quarter 2012 operating income was $23.8 million, an increase of 136% compared to $10.1 million in the first quarter of 2011.

Full text available to subscribers only

Navigating the ‘Great Content Shift’

by Elisabeth Tweedie, Associate Editor

Los Angeles, Calif., April 6, 2012-The theme of this year’s NAB to be held this month in Las Vegas is “the great content shift.”   If you haven’t attended the NAB in the last five years, you’ll hardly recognize it now.   The focus is still on traditional broadcasting, but it has since incorporated the many changes in how content is  created, managed and distributed in the new multiplatform environment. The NAB now covers Over-the-Top (OTT), IPTV and other new and emerging technologies.  

Satellite TV Industry Revolutionizing the Way We Watch TV

Los Angeles, Calif. , April 5, 2012- The Satellite TV  industry is in the midst of a revolution according to a report by IBISWorld. Satellite TV providers  supply popular family shows, news, movies, sports, documentaries and other products to a growing swarm of eager subscribers willing to pay for in-home entertainment. For example, the introduction of high-definition (HD) TV vastly improved the quality of shows and attracted subscribers even as disposable income dropped during the Great Recession.

Full text available to subscribers only

Global Space Industry Grew 12.2% in 2011

Washington, D.C., April 5, 2012-- The global space economy grew to US$ 289.77 billion in 2011, reflecting a surprisingly robust single-year expansion of 12.2 percent and five-year growth of 41 percent in a global economy that has been suppressed in many other sectors, according to the Space Report 2012 published by the Space Foundation.

Full text available to subscribers only

Study Shows that 60% of Utility Companies Use Satellite Technology

Herndon, Va., April 4, 2012–VT Systems and the Utilities Telecom Council (UTC) released the results of a new study on satellite communications in the utility industry. The study, Strategic Assessment of Satellite Usage in the Utility Industry, was conducted to gain a better understanding of how satellite communications is currently used in the utility industry and to better articulate the benefits of modern VSAT systems. Among the key findings were that 60% of utilities surveyed are already using some form of satellite communications technology.

Full text available to subscribers only

Oil and Gas Satcom Market Remains Lucrative

Cambridge, Mass, March 29, 2012--: NSR’s Oil and Gas via Satellite, 2nd Edition report. released today, finds the Oil & Gas satcom market to remain lucrative over the long-term as bandwidth needs rise worldwide and emerging Oil & Gas markets increase their requirements. Traditional Oil & Gas markets such as the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico are now increasingly complemented by growing satcom demand in Asia, Latin America and the Indian & Pacific Oceans.

Full text available to subscribers only

Government Space Programs Under Strong Budget Pressure

World space expenditures reach ceiling of $70 billion after decade of continuous growth

Paris, March 28, 2012–Euroconsult, said that global budgets for space programs have reached a plateau of roughly $70 billion, confirming a slowdown in expansion experienced by the space industry for the last 10 years. According to Euroconsult's new report "Profiles of Government Space Programs: Analysis of 60 Countries & Agencies," Space programs received a short-term boost in recent years from several governments to counter the economic crisis. However, they must now undergo even more stringent budget constraints exemplified by the European public debt crisis and the U.S. Budget Control Act of 2011.

Full text available to subscribers only

Satellite Surpasses Terrestrial, Cable as Europe's Leading Delivery Platform

London, UK, March 27, 2012--Satellite has become the leading TV infrastructure in Europe, ahead of terrestrial and cable reception according to the annual Satellite Monitor study presented by SES. Approximately 84 million European households have satellite (Direct-to-Home, DTH) as their primary TV reception mode, an increase of 22 percent over the last four years. In the same period, terrestrial TV lost nearly 16 million homes, while cable lost over 2 million. IPTV – the TV distribution over tele-communication networks in IP format – has grown from a very low level to some 16 million households.

Superfast Alternative Networks Begin to Find Their Niche in the U.K.

London, U.K., March 26, 2012--As BT and Virgin Media start to build scale in premises passed and customers sign to their superfast broadband services, some of the UK’s alternative network operators are beginning to find their niche. Although not all altnets will be successful, there are circumstances in which their varied and localised approaches look set to bring superfast broadband to individual communities that have often been struggling with access to even the most basic of broadband services.

Full text available to subscribers only