[Satellite TODAY 05-07-10] Telesat Holdings recorded revenues of $199 million in the 2010 first quarter, the company announced May 6.
     Revenues were down $5 million compared to the same period in 2009, thought when adjusted for foreign exchange rates, revenues grew 5 percent, Telesat said. Adjusted EBITDA for the first three months of 2010 was $149 million, up 3 percent from the first three months of 2009 and up 12 percent when adjusted for foreign exchange rate differences.
     "Incremental revenue contributions from Nimiq 5 and Telstar 11N and continued discipline on the cost side of our business resulted in strong growth in adjusted EBITDA and a meaningful improvement in Telesat’s adjusted EBITDA margin,” Telesat President and CEO Dan Goldberg said in a statement. “We also concluded an important agreement in the quarter with Shaw Direct for a new payload on a new satellite, underscoring the strength on our North American direct-to-home video business and augmenting our already industry leading contractual backlog."
     Telesat’s utilization rates was 87 percent for its North American fleet and 77 percent for its international fleet at the end of March, and the company’s backlog was about $5.8 billion.