Eutelsat pivots to hybrid satellite-OTT model with GEO-LEO integration

This shift signals the end of the zero-sum competition between satellite and streaming. For the ecosystem, it offers a scalable architectural fix for the 'unreplicable' economics of live streaming to 50M+ concurrent viewers — a feat traditional IP networks still struggle to handle without quality degradation. By standardizing on DVB-NIP, Eutelsat is attempting to integrate satellite as a 'first-class citizen' within the IP-native stack, rather than a legacy silo. Watch for the commercial traction of DVB-NIP gateways as a metric for whether local edge-caching can truly bridge the digital divide for premium streaming services.

The strategic urgency behind Eutelsat’s hybrid pivot is reflected in its recent financial and operational shifts. Per Eutelsat Group’s FY 2024-25 report, half-year video revenues fell 6.4% to €309.2 million, following a broader secular decline in legacy broadcasting. In contrast, connectivity revenues rose 21.1% over the same period, driven by the rapid growth of its LEO constellation, which now accounts for roughly 15% of total group revenue (per Eutelsat, August 2025). To maintain this momentum, the company secured a follow-on contract with Airbus in January 2026 for 340 additional LEO satellites at an estimated cost of €2 billion to ensure constellation continuity and prepare for the European Union's sovereign IRIS² multi-orbit project (per Satnews, January 2026).

Technologically, the industry is converging on Native IP (DVB-NIP) to eliminate the need for legacy MPEG-2 transport streams. The standard was formally adopted by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute in September 2024, enabling a single broadcast signal to feed cable headends, CDN caches, and mobile devices (per DVB Project, September 2024). Eutelsat’s integration efforts are already seeing field deployment; for instance, a 2025 partnership with wedotv expanded FAST channel availability across Europe and MENA, using HbbTV technology to enable addressable advertising on the HOTBIRD 13° East satellite (per Broadband TV News, June 2025). This aligns with broader market forecasts indicating that satellite-based advertising, while still smaller than subscription revenue, is growing at a 14% CAGR as operators seek to monetize viewership beyond traditional linear footprints (per PwC/Satellite Markets, September 2024).