Eutelsat claims top spot in key West African markets

Eutelsat has claimed the status of satellite market leader in the west African markets of Nigeria, Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire after a Nielsen study of TV reception in these markets showed the operator had a leading share of the DTH installed base in Cóte d’Ivoire, a majority share of the DTH base in Cameroon and a share of about half of satellite homes in Nigeria.

According to the Nielsen study, satellite reception is the dominant distribution mechanism in Côte d’Ivoire, reaching 68% of TV households, or 1.5 million homes in total. In Cameroon, satellite is used by 38% of households, or about 1.3 million homes, while in Nigeria satellite has a share of 41%, or about 10.3 million homes.

According to the study, Eutelsat’s 16° East satellite is the leading free position in Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire with a combined reach of 1.2 million households in those two countries.

In Cameroon, 16° East is the leading position and reaches a total of 940,000 households representing 73% of the DTH installed base. In Ivory Coast, it has the largest FTA installed base, reaching 240,000 households, or 37% of the DTH installed base.

Channels with local interest on 16° East include CRTV, Canal 2 International, Trace Africa, Novelas TV, RT1 and RT2

Eutelsat claimed the highest combined reach across the Nigerian market between its three positions, 36° East, 7° East and 16° East. Over five million households in Nigeria, or one out of two DTH households, point towards a Eutelsat position.

The 36° East slot is Nigeria’s leading pay TV position, reaching 1.3 million households, with DStv on board.

Eutelsat’s 16° East slot is a leading free-to-air position reaching a total of 2.2 million households, while its 7°East slot has a reach of 1.4 million households in Nigeria, mainly catering to English-speaking locals.

The Nielsen survey also found that 38% of Nigerian homes were HD-compatible, meaning they had HD TVs or set-top boxes. Some 18% of Cameroon homes and 22% of Côte d’Ivoire homes were also identified as HD-compatible.