Digital Satellite TV Platforms Continue to Gain Subscribers, and Profits Are on the Rise, Reports In-Stat/MDR.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Digital satellite pay TV platforms continue to grow in many areas of the world, and are expected to enjoy higher profitability over the next several years, according to In-Stat/MDR (http://www.instat.com). However, growth in some mature regional markets is slowing or stagnating, the high-tech research firm says.

"We expect 40 million worldwide DTH pay-TV subscribers to be added through 2008 as compared to the 61 million digital DTH pay-TV subscribers that were active at the end of 2003," said In-Stat/MDR analyst Michelle Abraham. "In addition to an increasing subscriber base, the industry's profits are on the rise due to reductions in equipment costs, increases in package pricing, and new revenues from new services and features."

A recent In-Stat/MDR report also found:

--Worldwide subscription revenues are projected to grow to $70 billion in 2008.

--In Europe, Italy has been a growing market in 2004, but subscriber growth in most other countries has been slow.

--One of the fastest growing countries will be Japan due to the conversion of a large number of analog satellite subscribers to the digital broadcast satellite service. India is also expected to experience fast growth as the country's first satellite pay-TV service was launched in 2003 and a second one is expected in 2005.

The report, "Worldwide Digital Satellite Pay-TV Platforms: A Mixed Bag in 2004" (#IN0401236MB), includes five-year forecasts for digital DTH pay-TV subscribers, revenues and annual ARPU by region. For more information on this report, please visit: http://www.instat.com/catalog/Ccatalogue.asp?id=39 or contact Erin McKeighan; [e-mail] or 480-609-4551. The report price is $2,995.

About In-Stat/MDR

In-Stat/MDR (http://www.instat.com) offers a broad range of information resources and analytical assets to technology vendors, service providers, technology professionals, and market specialists worldwide. The company stands alone in its ability to integrate both supply-side and demand-side research methodologies into a single comprehensive view of technology markets and products. This capability relies on a unique ability to cover the entire value chain from engineering-level technology, through equipment, infrastructure, services and end users.

In-Stat/MDR is part of the Reed Electronics Group, a division of Reed Elsevier (www.reedelsevier.com), a world-leading publisher and information provider. With more than 38,000 employees worldwide, Reed Elsevier operates in the science & medical, legal, education and business-to-business industry sectors, providing high value and flexible information solutions to professional end users, with increasing emphasis on the Internet.