SES S.A. reported revenue of EUR 956.8 million, down 4.2% as reported (-4.8% at constant FX), for the first six months of 2016. EBITDA came in at EUR 699.8 million, down 5.4% as reported (-5.8% at constant FX and same scope).
“SES’s first half results were in line with management’s expectations, while the appeal of SES’s differentiated and holistic solutions to major customers has continued to deliver substantial contract backlog and validates SES’s capability-driven strategy,” stated Karim Michel Sabbagh, President and CEO.
A few operational highlights from the financial statement:
- HDTV channels up 12.1% (YOY) to 2,442 channels, improving HD penetration from 30.4% to 32.7%
- Of the 7,463 total TV channels broadcast by SES’s global fleet (30 June 2015: 7,164), 32.7% are broadcast in HD (30 June 2015: 30.4%). This represents a growth in HDTV channels of 12.1% (YOY) to 2,442 HDTV channels.
- At 30 June 2016, 60% of SES’s total TV channels are broadcast in MPEG-4 (30 June 2015: 54%).
- At 30 June 2016, SES now broadcasts 16 commercial UHD TV channels (30 June 2015: none), including all regional variations. In January 2016, SES and Vivicast Media unveiled UHD-1 for audiences of North American cable operators and telcos. Then, in May 2016, SES announced an agreement for the world’s first Ultra HD sports channel, Viasat Ultra HD.
- SES now supports a total of 57 global government customers. In January 2016, SES secured a new contract with the Kativik Regional Government, in Canada, to provide satellite services across the northern Quebec region. The contract, which began on 30 June 2016, includes 12 transponders on SES-2 to deliver critical C-band communications capabilities. The service will triple the bandwidth currently available across the region.
- As at 30 June 2016, the SES fleet had 1,550 available transponders (30 June 2015: 1,518 available transponders). The movement in available capacity includes the entry in commercial service of SES-9 (+53 incremental transponders) on 1 June 2016. This was partly offset by the ARSAT migration (-16 transponders) and reduction in available capacity on NSS-6 (-5 transponders) as a result of power degradation.