Eutelsat headquarters. Photo: Eutelsat

Eutelsat Communications has launched Sat.tv, its enhanced electronic program guide for Free-to-Air (FTA) channels. The service is operating at the 7/8 degrees West position, serving over 56 million homes across the Middle East and North Africa, and is being deployed at other Eutelsat video neighborhoods.

Sat.tv helps enable broadcasters to maximize their reach and increase their ability to target specific viewers through an enhanced electronic program guide, comprehensive channel listing, consistent channel presentation, and regionalized numbering. Sat.tv is available on a new generation of free satellite receivers, and is free-of-charge for set-top box vendors, as well as for broadcasters operating at Eutelsat’s video hotspots.

Broadcast is an important revenue segment for Eutelsat. In the company’s recent First Quarter (Q1) financial results, Chief Financial Officer Sandrine Téran said that broadcast revenue was stable over the last 13 quarters — which is rare for the satellite industry. She attributed the stable broadcast revenue to resilient Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcasting, growing channels in emerging markets, Eutelsat’s geographic reach, and absence in the North American market.

Commenting on Sat.tv, Eutelsat CCO Philippe Oliva said: “We are delighted at the successful launch of Sat.tv and the considerable success it is already having amongst leading broadcasters at our 7/8 degrees West position, where it is increasing audience engagement for our broadcast customers and significantly enhancing the Free-to-Air user experience for the millions of viewers at this position. We are in the process of rolling this service out to further reinforce the attractiveness of our key video neighborhoods.”