The Emerging Markets pay-TV business markets and sells Viasat’s premium pay-TV packages on its own DTH satellite platforms in the Baltics and Ukraine, and on Elion’s IPTV platform in Estonia, and distributes its 11 Viasat-branded channels via third party pay-TV networks to subscribers in 26 countries across Central and Eastern Europe and the United States. The Ukrainian DTH satellite platform is proportionately consolidated on a 50:50 basis in the Group’s results.
The Pay-TV Emerging Markets business area reported a 33% revenue growth to SEK 875 (658) million in 2009, whilst operating profits increased by 59% to SEK 168 (106) million. Sales were up 24% for the full year at constant exchange rates.
Viasat’s Baltic and Ukrainian DTH satellite pay-TV platforms showed continued subscriber intake in Ukraine and a more stable position in the Baltics. The wholesale mini-pay business added 4.3 million subscriptions to break through the 40 million mark.
| Subscriber data (000’s) |
2009 |
2008 |
| Premium DTH subscribers |
216 |
218 |
| Basic DTH subscribers |
24 |
11 |
| Mini-pay TV subscriptions |
40,778 |
36,469 |
Significant events
MTG announced in October 2009 that it had signed a four year agreement with Elion, the largest broadband and IPTV service provider in Estonia. Viasat now markets and sells its pay-TV channel packages to Elion’s 175,000 broadband customers, 88,000 of which subscribe to IPTV services on the Elion platform. Viasat’s Estonian free-TV channels (TV3, TV6 and 3+) have also been made available to existing Elion IPTV subscribers.
The Group launched new premium sports channel Viasat Sport Baltic and made its Viasat Golf channel available in the Baltics for the first time during 2009. Ukrainian football channel TRK Football was added to Viasat’s Ukrainian DTH platform in November. The channel has the exclusive broadcasting rights to the Ukrainian Premier League, as well as matches from the Spanish, French, Dutch, Portuguese and Scottish football leagues.
Significant events after the end of the year
The Viasat Hockey channel was made available after the end of the reporting period and will replace Viasat Sport East in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
For information about the agreement regarding Viasat Ukraine and the acquisition, regarding the Russian satellite TV platform Raduga TV, of 50% of Raduga Holdings S.A. from Continental Media S.A., see page Acquisitions and Divestments.