The number of Dutch consumers using an alternative for cable for their television viewing rose from 24% in mid-2009 to 28% in September 2010, according to telecoms regulator OPTA. The number of viewers watching digital television via cable was greater in 2010 than the number of consumers who only have analogue television via cable (55% vs. 45%).
Digital television usage has been increasing for some years by some 10 percentage points per year. In September 2010, 65% of consumers had a digital television, with a mere one-third of all consumers still having only an analogue television subscription.
Usage of alternative platforms is increasing, such as IPTV via fibre optic cables or DSL, satellite DTH and digital terrestrial broadcasting (DVB-T). This is a remarkable development in a country traditionally dominated by cable.
Two out of three consumers have a bundle subscription, i.e. some five million Dutch households. In 2010, triple play was the most popular, with 2.2 million subscriptions (30% of all households). Some 800,000 households (11.3%) have opted for a bundle with broadband and television. Finally, 2.5% of the households subscribe to a television and fixed telephony bundle.