Tough competition in the Swedish multichannel TV sector, including the set-top ‘giveaway’ by telco Telia, is being blamed for a reduction in the number of subscribers to the DTT pay platform Boxer.
Subscriber numbers fell by 8,000 in the second quarter, reducing the installed base to 701,000, though still 23,000 than at the same point in 2007.
“Competition in the Swedish pay-TV market is becoming tougher and tougher, not least since Telia launched IPTV (TV via the broadband network) on a large scale,” said Boxer MD Per Norman. “The most important consideration for Boxer at the present time is that we can develop the terrestrial network using new technology and offer program packages which give even more value for money, and that we can grow in new markets.”
This is the second quarter when growth has failed to materialise for the Swedish pay-TV platform. In March Boxer reported no movement either way in its subscriber numbers.
