Telenet grew its digital subscriber base by 47,000 in the first quarter, reaching a total of 438,000 subscribers, boosted by sales promotions that ran during January. In March the Belgian cable operator launched a series of rental propositions for its set-top boxes, though the timing of the offer means that the majority of take up remains through retail.
A further 1,234,000 subscribers take an analogue cable service, though the combined figures have fallen from 1,732,000 in March 2007 to 1,672,000, as Telenet comes under pressure from competitors including the telco Belgacom. 346,000 subscribers now take Telenet’s triple play offer, a 35% increase year-on-year.
The popularity of video on demand continues to increase with a rise of 85% when compared to the first quarter of 2007.
Revenues at €247.1 million were up 9% on the prior year, and despite increases in EBITDA and operating profit, Telenet fell to a loss of €6.8 million as a result of higher interest charges.
