Ziggo reports almost 50% digital

Dutch cable operator Ziggo came close to the 50% tipping point for digital homes in 2009. Out of a total of 3,165,000 analogue cable TV customers, 1,552,000 subscribed to digital. By now, the 50% mark should have been reached.

As with most European cable operators, the percentage of cable connections compared to the number of homes passed is going down. Of the 4,075,000 potential customers, it stood at 77.67%, compared with 80.6% during 2008, when the total number of analogue subs was 3,255,000.

The number of broadband customers went up from 1,375,000 to 1,449,000 and VoIP telephony homes went up from 809,000 to 999,000. The number of homes taking a bundle went up dramatically from 260,000 to 675,000, with the total number of RGUs 7,165,000.

During the year, total revenues amounted to €1,284.400 (1,238.600 in 2008); EBITDA was €695,800 (677,000 in 2008).

Commenting on the results, CEO Bernard Dijkhuizen said in a statement: “We enhanced our television service by expanding our portfolio of HD television channels, introducing interactive television and being the first in the world to adopt the CI Plus standard. Owners of a CI Plus certified television are able to watch Ziggo digital television merely by inserting their   into the back of their television set, which eliminates the need for a set-top box or separate remote control. We believe CI+ will lower the threshold for switching to digital television and make it even easier for customers to add Ziggo digital services.”

Ziggo employs a retail model for its TV services, with people buying the equipment rather than rent (as does UPC). The cabler has now rolled out DOCSIS 3.0 across the network, offering broadband speeds up to 120 Mbps.