The satellite operator launched Eutelsat 7 last September. Courtesy of Eutelsat
The satellite operator launched Eutelsat 7 last September. Courtesy of Eutelsat

Viewers needed to fund astronomical HD costs in Emirates



For the satellite operator Eutelsat, beaming high definition (HD) channels into millions of homes across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) meant buying a satellite, launching it into orbit and paying huge insurance premiums.

The cost of a single satellite system, such as the one that began transmitting Eutelsat's 40 HD and more than 800 standard definition channels in the Mena region in October, runs to about €250 million (Dh1.21 billion). And the company plans to launch six more satellites between the fourth quarter of this year and the end of 2014.

"That's the name of the game," said Michel de Rosen, the chief executive of Eutelsat. "You need to spend a lot of money."

But companies need more money coming back in to warrant the high costs of investing in HD technology.

"There's a lot of infrastructure there, and where to monetise is a challenge," Rashed Majed Alabbar, the vice president of home product marketing at Etisalat, said in Dubai last week during the Cabsat exhibition for cable and satellite companies.

More people in the UAE are watching YouTube HD videos, although much of the content does not require a premium charge.

"Who's paying for that? It's free," said Mr Alabbar. "It's going through our pipes, and no one is earning money there."

Mr Alabbar said there may be more ways for the industry to generate revenue in the future through so-called over-the-top services, which could charge a premium for on-demand or HD programming.

Eutelsat said its sales had increased to clients such as telecommunications operators because HD required two and a half times the technological capacity of standard definition channels.

Some experts argue that while more HD television sets are being sold, their features are not always being used.

"Customers are buying HD sets but not necessarily watching HD content," said Said Bacho, the vice president for sales and service in the Middle East and South Asia at Harris, a communications company.

"We need to have more demand," said Awad Mousa, the head of content creation marketing at Sony Professional Solutions MEA.

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nikhil%20Nagesh%20Bhat%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Lakshya%2C%20Tanya%20Maniktala%2C%20Ashish%20Vidyarthi%2C%20Harsh%20Chhaya%2C%20Raghav%20Juyal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.5%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

SPECS

Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman

Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo

Transmission: nine-speed automatic

Power: 306hp

Torque: 450Nm

Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500

The biog

From: Upper Egypt

Age: 78

Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila

Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace

Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace

Brief scores

Barcelona 2

Pique 36', Alena 87'

Villarreal 0

The specs

  Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now

The flights: South African Airways flies from Dubai International Airport with a stop in Johannesburg, with prices starting from around Dh4,000 return. Emirates can get you there with a stop in Lusaka from around Dh4,600 return.
The details: Visas are available for 247 Zambian kwacha or US$20 (Dh73) per person on arrival at Livingstone Airport. Single entry into Victoria Falls for international visitors costs 371 kwacha or $30 (Dh110). Microlight flights are available through Batoka Sky, with 15-minute flights costing 2,265 kwacha (Dh680).
Accommodation: The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel by Anantara is an ideal place to stay, within walking distance of the falls and right on the Zambezi River. Rooms here start from 6,635 kwacha (Dh2,398) per night, including breakfast, taxes and Wi-Fi. Water arrivals cost from 587 kwacha (Dh212) per person.

THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases

A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.

One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait,  Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.

In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.

The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.

And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.

 

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The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
​​​​​​​Princeton

RESULT

Bayern Munich 5 Eintrracht Frankfurt 2
Bayern:
 Goretzka (17'), Müller (41'), Lewandowski (46'), Davies (61'), Hinteregger (74' og)    
Frankfurt: Hinteregger (52', 55')

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now