Eurosport took its international channel into 108 million households in the third quarter, taking advantage of the growth in satellite, ADSL and DTT distribution. As of September 30, 2008 Eurosport had a paying subscriber base of 65 million, an increase of 10.5%, with 65% of the new subscribers coming from Central and East Europe.
The high definition version of the channel, which only launched in May 2008, is now available in 24 countries.
Eurosport 2, launched in January 2005, has enjoyed a 28.3% increase year-on-year. The channel is available in 32.9 million households across 43 countries. Again the Eurosport is benefitting from growth in Central and East Europe. Premier League matches are available in Hungary and Romania and a Serbian version was recently introduced.
Eurosport International revenues in the nine months to September 30, 2008 increased by 13.1% to €231 million, boosted by an 11% growth in subscriptions, and 19.1% growth in advertising revenue. However, the cost of broadcasting the Olympics, combined with the costs of launching HD and the development of Eurosport 2 in the UK, took profits down by 13% to €16.7 million.
