Satellite demand will double by 2016

[BGonaSTICK]

There are today about 5200 active satellite transponders operating. This number will double over the next few years.

According to market research specialists Futron Corp., today’s 5200 transponder (at 36 MHz equivalents) will grow to almost 10,000 transponders by 2016. During the next five years, that is until 2012, average demand will increase by seven per cent annually, says technical director Andrea Maleter, writing in the latest edition of NearEarth’s newsletter.

“For DTH, all transponders are digital, with an increasing amount of capacity devoted to HDTV transmission. EchoStar and DirecTV, for example, offer 250-280 channels in their premium-level packages, which include movie channels, pay-per-view, radio, and local channels for most markets. Assuming that local channels will be available in both SD and HD format for some years, and using an average of 14 local channels for each of the 210 defined local markets (called DMAs), US demand for DTH capacity is expected to grow by about 14% annually over the next five years, nearly doubling DTH transponder demand over this period,” says Maleter.

“The impact of these new technologies are not found just in the US. Together with the opening of more regional markets very eager to absorb the latest technologies, particularly in Asia, they will contribute to more than doubling the demand for satellite capacity for video services, in the next 10 years. It is this intensive penetration of HDTV, which drives the demand for video services, demand whose growth continues over the next 10 years, overcoming the continuous decrease of analogue channels. The growth in demand will, however, decline towards the end of the forecast period, primarily because of a slowing in the growth of demand for video services in markets such as the Americas and Western Europe. In these two markets, during the next five years, there will be a higher increase in capacity demand because of the rapid adjustment of an already mature market to HD, as detailed above for the US,” adds Maleter.

Source: World Media

[Unknown user #1]

I am not sure if this will happen in the UK. Most of people I discussed DVB-S topics with, rejected the idea by claiming something like that: "if it was legal to receive channels for free, then why Sky (and n~t~l) would demand payment for it? It must be illegal then!"

I would believe in UK sat market when I could walk into Comet or Currys and buy satellite receiver. So far the only high street store that does satellite equipment (let's not count one-off promotions by Aldi and Liddl) is Maplin. And it isn't a mainstream store anyway.

[BGonaSTICK]

The thrust of the article is the doubling of the number of transponders worldwide. I think it's highly unlikely personally, at least as far as TV and radio is concerned, because I don't believe HD will take off in the way 'experts' predict. It doesn't mention 'free' or 'illegal'.

As for free channels and people believing them to be illegal - this is only the case in countries like the UK where Sky have a virtual monopoly and snuff out any opposition to their master plan by buying and then burying them. They have done a simply brilliant job of conning the public here.

We can not and will not roll over and allow those tactics to go unopposed. Of course 'the scene' - even as a whole - cannot take on Sky and the likes directly, but we must at least do our bit to inform. If people are not interested or can't be bothered, then there isn't much we can do, but a small percentage are and can, and we will be there to scoop them up.

Digital switchover in the UK has shown that there are plenty of people who don't want pay-TV, and although that number will probably be eroded over time, Sky's monopoly certainly won't last forever either. If the Beeb ever get this 'Freeesat' thing off the ground, then you will see satellite receivers available in the major high-street stores.

[Unknown user #1]

As for free channels and people believing them to be illegal - this is only the case in countries like the UK where Sky have a virtual monopoly and snuff out any opposition to their master plan by buying and then burying them. They have done a simply brilliant job of conning the public here.

Can't agree more!

We can not and will not roll over and allow those tactics to go unopposed. Of course 'the scene' - even as a whole - cannot take on Sky and the likes directly, but we must at least do our bit to inform. If people are not interested or can't be bothered, then there isn't much we can do, but a small percentage are and can, and we will be there to scoop them up.

I think the recent market improvement in the UK was mainly due to immigrants, especially Poles. They want to watch TV from Poland and that's why virtuall every Polish guy I know got sat receiver pointing at 13.0E (Cyfra/Polsat). I must admit that I only bought sat receiver for the same reason - my spouse wanted to watch Russian channels and neither NTL nor Sky weren't in position to provide it for us.
But for indigenous population this is not an issue, so I can't see how situation could be improved.

Overall I am VERY sceptical about sats becoming mainstream in the UK. ATM it is for enthusiasts (like yourself) and foreigners (like myself) only.

[BGonaSTICK]

I'm sure it will get better if we all keep chipping away. I'm a positive kind of guy

[Unknown user #1]

And I am pessimistic by nature