Swedish cablenet Com Hem is reporting a significant increase in the take-up of its high definition television services. Since the Stockholm based operator launched its first major marketing campaign in August, 60% of new digital customers in have opted for the HD format, with the cablenet anticipating a doubling of HD customers by the end of the year.
In total Com Hem currently has 430,000 digital TV subscribers out of an installed base of 1.76 million.
Com Hem’s head of consumer sales Christoffer Svanberg is attributing the success to the combination of the Summer Olympics and its new Medium 8 favoriter HD offer, which has now been extended through until November 2. “There is a desire for HD in the market, but seeing is believing, once you’ve got it in your home you’ll like it and keep it,” Svanberg told Broadband TV News.
Subscribers pay a monthly SEK199 for the package that allows them to pick from a mix of standard and high definition channels. Premium channels are not included in the package. A 12-month contract secures the subscriber the HD receiver, to own, for SEK1. “If the boxes are £200, then you wouldn’t go for it, but if you can get the boxes at the right price then the customer is very interested,” said Svanberg.
There is also evidence that take-up in HD services has increased in line with the addition of new TV channels.
