Digital+ has highlighted the success of its personal video recorder and multiroom products that have increased ARPU at the Spanish satcaster as overall subscriber numbers continue to fall.
As of September 30, 2010 there were 1,772,677, a further decline from the 1,899,216, and the 11th quarter of negative growth. However, this fails to tell the whole story, with an increase in gross additions during the first nine months of 2010 of 9.6, when compared to 2009, and a fall in cancellations of 15%.
September was also the sixth consecutive month in which the decline in cancellations was less than the previous year. The company said the quarter would have been better still were it not for delays in establishing wholesale agreements with Jazztel, Telecable and Orange.
There have also been agreements to broadcast Canal+ on the Telecable and Orange TV platforms, and a triple play offer launched with Jazztel and Orange.
Average monthly revenue (ARPU) increased by 4.7% to €41.1 per subscriber; 245,940 subscribers now take the iPlus PVR, an additional 150,000 added in the first nine months of the year as Digital+ shifted from a purchase to a rental model while 104,023 subscribers have signed for multiroom. The number of subscribers with both iPlus and Multi+ reached 80,025 subscribers.
Digital+ recorded an ARPU of €204.66 million. Owner Prisa is currently planning to sell 44% of Digital+ to improve its balance sheet. 21% will go to Telefonica and 22% to Mediaset’s Telecino, subject of an enquiry by media regulator CMT.
