Eutelsat

COMMUNICATING GLOBALLY

Eutelsat Communications is one of the world’s leading and most experienced operators of communications satellites. The company provides capacity on 39 satellites to clients that include broadcasters and broadcasting associations, pay TV operators, video, data and Internet service providers, enterprises and government agencies.

Providing coverage of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, Eutelsat’s satellites enable video, data, broadband and government communications to be established irrespective of a user’s location.

Eutelsat has been present in the MENA region for over 30 years, but their main focus on broadcasting really shifted gear over 10 years ago with the specialisation of some satellites for the region, and the collaboration with Nilesat in the 7/8 degrees West arc.

The 7/8° West position, jointly operated by Nilesat and Eutelsat, is key in MENA as it enables 250 million TV viewers in a vast region from Morocco to the Gulf to receive over a thousand channels with a single small satellite dish.

This result reflects longstanding partnerships between Eutelsat and Gulfsat, Nilesat, Noorsat and anchor

media groups, including MBC and OSN that are experiencing strong commercial success and are well placed for further expansion in the region.

The EUTELSAT 8 West B satellite joined the constellation at 7/8° West in 2015, taking it to a new level of performance. The additional capacity provided by the satellite enabled over a hundred further channels to be accommodated. EUTELSAT 8 West B also introduces C-band capacity to 7/8° West, connected to footprints covering the African continent and reaching west to South America. This capacity will be particularly beneficial for global TV contribution, telecom networks, mobile backhaul and data networks.

For the Arab and international broadcasting community the entry into service of EUTELSAT 8 West B marks a milestone in the growth story of the most popular satellite TV neighbourhood in the Middle East and North Africa. Channels can benefit from increased power, more coverage options and higher in-orbit security, as well as a future-proof infrastructure for HD TV and Ultra HD.

Eutelsat wants to help channels manage a transition to HD and set the scene for Ultra HD that will take the viewing experience into a whole new dimension. Looking forward, Eutelsat believes that the move to higher

quality afforded by Ultra HD will further consolidate satellite as a core infrastructure in the region.

The broadcasting sector in MENA is both vibrant and highly developed, as there is a strong concentration of broadcasters and service providers in Dubai and the Gulf states. This drove the decision to open new representative offices in Dubai. The TV market is characterised by very high satellite penetration, representing nine out of 10 TV homes, due to lack of terrestrial networks.

Longstanding Partnerships Eutelsat has established strong and longstanding partnerships with MENA operators and broadcasters and developed leading Direct-to-Home neighbourhoods. In addition to 7/8° West, 13° East (HOT BIRD) was confirmed by the Eutelsat TV Observatory in January 2015 as the second most-watched position in the Middle East after 7/8° West, and 7° East remains a vibrant neighbourhood for the Turkish market.

In November 2015, the Arab Broadcasting Union (ASBU 2015) named Eutelsat ‘Satellite Operator of the Year’. In so doing, ASBU recognised the company as a driving force behind the massive expansion in the number of television channels available to homes throughout the Middle East and North Africa region. CONTACT

Eutelsat SA Eutelsat Middle East FZ-LCC Dubai Media City Thuraya II tower 2003A PO Box 502239, UAE Tel: +971 (4) 3903145 Fax: +971 (4) 3688901 Website: www.eutelsat.com

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