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BEAM MAGAZINE No. 01 | 2012 SATELLITES AND THE MEDIA The opportunities arising from ever-changing consumer demands TAKING THE LEAD Benefi tting from the varying markets of Europe EMERGING AUDIENCES The informed and increasingly a uent viewers of Asia TRANSMITTING MEDIA INNOVATION Keeping pace with the explosion in consumer devices EDITORIAL | BEAM NO. 01 STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIPS DEAR READER, Partnering with our customers in order to support their de ve l- We are pushing for exciting, innovative satellite services and opment and growth plans: this is the core concept that drives our applications. Earlier this year, we unveiled SAT>IP: this ground- commitment to customer service. breaking technology allows satellite signals to be distributed in SES operates one of the world’s finest telecommunications the IP protocol to tablet computers, PCs and other smart devices. satellite fleets. With 51 satellites and a coverage area of 99% of the SAT>IP allows for mobile satellite reception on multiple screens world’s population, SES provides a major link in the global com- in the home. It represents a true breakthrough. And we are munications chain. moving closer to the launch of the O3b Networks constellation, This fleet, now featuring more than 1,400 transponders, is the which SES supports as a major strategic shareholder. This innova- world’s leading media broadcasting platform via satellite. Today, tive new medium earth orbit satellite system will provide highly we transmit more than 5,800 TV and radio channels – more than competitive high throughput broadband capacity for trunking, any other satellite system. Our spacecraft carry more than mobile backhaul and satellite applications in the maritime as 1,300 HDTV channels and our attractive satellite neighbour- well as the oil and gas sectors. The construction of the satellites is hoods cater to growing audiences of more than 258 million on track, and we are well set for the launch of the first spacecraft homes on six continents. in the first half 2013 and for the commencement of commercial Over the past 12 months, SES has transitioned into a new mo dus services by mid-year 2013. operandi. We have realigned the company under a new banner; Thanks to many tireless efforts that often remain hidden from we have simplified our customer interfaces and ex tended our re- the spotlight, we steadfastly move the needle to safeguard and gional representation. We have further sharpened our customer improve service reliability on an broader industry-wide scale. focus and our sense for how to best add value to our customers’ Through the Space Data Association, and through other over- business and support their growth. arching interference reduction initiatives, we are a driving force This magazine casts glimpses on what we’ve achieved recently. to secure and improve satellite service quality and resilience. We are consistently implementing our satellite fleet expansion The new SES is firing on all cylinders, tireless in its ambition plan. We have launched two satellites so far in 2012, SES-4 and to further strengthen partnerships with its customers. We have SES-5, bolstering our transmission capacity especially in those established new offices in Latin America and in Africa, moving emerging markets where demand is fastest-growing. We are set to closer to our customers especially in those markets where launch a further spacecraft, ASTRA 2F, end of the third quarter sa tellite services hold the promise of greatest added value. 2012. And we continue to pursue our fleet in vest ment pro- These topics, and a few more, are described in detail in this gramme beyond 2012. With a further six satellites currently un- magazine. I wish you an enjoyable read. der construction, SES is well positioned to support the forecast of steady growth of capacity demand over the coming years. Yours sincerely, We continue to develop and strengthen our most attractive media broadcasting neighbourhoods. More channels mean more choice, and provide better value to more end users and viewers. The channel offering available on the SES fleet contin- ues to diver sify, and the audience that can be reached through our satellites continues to increase, particularly in those markets where TV is growing most quickly. ROMAIN BAUSCH, PRESIDENT AND CEO 33 CONTENTS IMPRINT PUBLISHER SES S.A., Château de Betzdorf L-6815 Betzdorf, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg /06 /20 /32 In charge of daily management: Gerson Souto, Romain Bausch, Andrew Browne, Martin Halliwell, Ferdinand Kayser EDITORS Tinat Chowdhry, Jean-Paul Ho mann CREATIVE DIRECTION Florian Dengler SATELLITE LEADS IN EUROPE Meeting the diverse demands of the Euro- DESIGN pean marketplace leads to the growth of Anna Boucsein, Sebastian Braun the satellite industry. Nick Flaherty DESIGN AGENCY MetaDesign AG Leibnizstraße 65, 10629 Berlin, Germany TRANSMITTING MEDIA INNOVATION DIRECT TO AFRICA EDITORIAL AGENCY SAT>IP brings satellite television to Digital TV is on the rise as Africa’s Rethink GmbH IP-capable devices. Andrew Bulkeley economies improve. Tinat Chowdhry Hegelplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany Management: Markus Albers, Brian O’Connor 24 OCCASIONAL USE WRITERS Andrew Bulkeley, Rethink /16 /30 /38 26 SATELLITES IN THE Tinat Chowdhry, SES 21ST CENTURY Keith Boi, Ying Communications James Schwoch Nick Flaherty, freelance journalist Paul Sims, SES correspondent 36 OnSES PHOTO DIRECTION 42 SATELLITE Jennifer Bressler INTERFERENCE GROWTH IN ASIA ILLUSTRATION SES reaches more than 20 million pay TV 42 EMERGENCY.LU Sabine Hecher, Mario Wagner homes in the Asia-Pacific. Keith Boi IMAGES Mario Wagner: Cover, p. 6-9, 12; Sabine Hecher: p. 14/15, 36/37; DDP Images: p. 16; Alamy, Mau- ritius Images: p. 19 top; Tim Graham, Corbis: p. 19 bottom; SES: p. 20, 42; Dan Rowley, Corbis: p. 24 le ; Eyb, Mauritius Images: p. 24/25; COVERING THE AMERICAS OUR PEOPLE Leonard Ortiz, Corbis: p. 25 right; IPS Lerner, More than 75% of TV households in Latin Harry Pallas is a Senior Manager at SES’ Getty Images: p. 31; Cedric Favro, Getty Images: America will have digital TV by 2017. Spacecraft Operations Centre in Gibraltar. p. 32/33; Mike McGregor: p. 38/39, 41 le ; Philine Paul Sims Tinat Chowdhry, Andrew Bulkeley von Sell: p. 40, 41 right 4 Text: Andrew Bulkeley, Illustration: Mario Wagner TRANSMITTING MEDIA INNOVATION Watching a championship match in the backyard. Downloading an episode from years past in the kitchen. Ending the constant battle over what to watch – or for valuable bandwidth. Satellite technology has media distribution covered, anywhere. 6 7 ANDHELD DEVICES. EVER gence provider International Data Corp (IDC). Smart- channels. The type of home network is irre le vant, ity. Commercial applications are a serious consider- GREATER SCREEN RESOLUTIONS. phones made up 31.5% of all portable phones sold whether it’s using traditional cables, wireless func- ation for the technology, allowing satellites to pro- INTERACTIVE PROGRAMMING last year. IDC said it expects sales of the intelligent tionality or even powerline networks that rely on vide pay TV and interactive TV services in hotels, AND ONDEMAND ACCESS. devices to grow to 686 million this year and comprise a home’s electricity network. hospitals and other large institutions. Getting the IP CHANGE AND ADAPTATION ARE nearly 40% of the cell phone market. And those Current prototypes allow viewing of up to eight signal into a building opens up a number of possi- HNOTHING NEW TO THE MEDIA INDUSTRY. figures don’t even include the 68.7 million tablet HDTV programmes simultaneously on eight bilities – likely even opportunities SES has yet to computers sold last year or the number of other different screens in a single network. Each device discover. But the pace and volume seems to be more relentless devices, such as TVs, computer monitors and hand- commu nicates with the set-top box using standard than ever, primarily because innovation and deve l- held gaming platforms, that are now media capable. internet communication protocols to request INTERNET PROTOCOL opment in other sectors such as consumer electronics What unifying technology makes them so pop- access to in di vidual programming, which are then SES has been working with Luxembourg manufac- and internet technology are converging on media ular? Internet Protocol (IP), which is the basis for served up by the set-top box. turer Inverto Digital Labs to develop prototype distribution. And each new technology has to be internet communication. “The world is moving SAT>IP equipment. The technology was rolled out weighed for its validity and economic viability while toward IP broadcasting and devices that don’t have during SES’ annual Industry Days event at its keeping an eye on rights management for content built-in tuners. We noticed that consumers were // Everyone in the house Luxembourg headquarters in late April. SES says creators. increasingly expanding their viewing behaviour it expects products for content producers and con- No easy task, but SES is working to innovate and onto many devices beyond televisions, including can watch what they want sumers to begin appearing on the market in the develop standards to bring content to consumers different handsets and monitors. We wanted to with no degradation in second half of the year. The first products will centre through a variety of direct-to-home models, which now find a way to get linear satellite signals onto those around SAT>IP servers that can feed from four to take into account the explosion in end devices that devices. And the way to do that is SAT>IP,” says quality and … without six programmes simultaneously into home networks is fuelling a move away from traditional TV habits. Thomas Wrede, VP Reception Systems, SES. for reception on iPads and Android tablet devices Apple’s iPhone first ushered in the smartphone losing connectivity. as well as on other SAT>IP compatible devices like and then the company revolutionised the computer THE NEW STANDARD set-top boxes and media players.