Mediaset Premium, the Italian broadcasters digital terrestrial pay-per-view service, sold 1.1 million cards during its first year of operation. The service has been bolstered by a wide range of content that includes football from Serie A and Serie B, Grande Fratello (the Italian version of Big Brother), and a selection of premiering movies. 4.1 million cards were ‘recharged’ leading to €108 million in revenues from the service during 2006. Since the beginning of 2007 a further 250,000 new cards have been sold and 1.2 recharges.
The information came as Mediaset’s board of directors confirmed the company’s 2006 annual report. The Mediaset Group reported an increase in net revenues of 1.9% to €3,747.6 million and an operating profit of €505.5m.