This year sees the two major networking events, CABSAT in Dubai and SatCom Africa in Johannesburg, opening their doors at a time of significant momentum for digital video and broadband services.

In this context, the last few months have seen the successful launch of two new satellites for Eutelsat, HOT BIRD™ 7A and HOT BIRD™ 8 at 13° East, and the in-orbit redeployment of ATLANTIC BIRD™ 4 to 7° West. The new capacity provided by these three satellites has been used to support an impressive 37% rise in the number of channels carried by our fleet to a figure in excess of 2 400. Reflecting the dynamics of emerging markets, half of this expansion has been due to demand in eastern and central Europe, the Middle East and Africa, regions accounting for more than 300 new TV channels in the last 12 months and which we shall naturally be showcasing in this issue.

We also invite you to discover the main results of our latest survey. These reveal that
satellite and cable reception in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East has expanded
twice as fast as the increase in television homes, passing 50 per cent penetration in
42 countries. The same survey also confirms the leading role of Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD™
neighbourhood, where audience reach progressed to 121 million homes by the end
of 2006, while breaking through the barrier of 1000 channels. >> more