Take-up of Viasat’s satellite value-added services in the Nordics grew strongly in 2011, though the total number of premium subscribers remained almost unchanged.
Viasat ended 2011 the year with 188,000 subscribers to ViasatPlus, up from 179,000 in Q3 and 158,000 at the end of 2010. Its Multiroom service was meanwhile received in 250,000 homes (240,000/ Q3 and 235,000/Q4 2010) and HD in 297,000 (276,000/Q3 and 210,000/Q4 2010).
The total number of premium subscribers amounted to 1,058,000 at year’s end, compared to 1,042,000 at the end of Q3 and 1,057,000 at the end of 2010.
Of these, 628,000 were satellite and 421,000 third party network subscribers.
The basic subscriber total continued to fall, down from 43,000 at the end of 2010 to 38,000 in Q4 2011.
The Nordic pay-TV business saw its operating profits grow by 18% year-on-year in Q4 to SEK246 million (€27.9 million), while in the year as a whole they grew by 12% to SEK923 million.
Viasat’s emerging markets pay-TV operations ended 2011 with 532,000 satellite subscribers, or 102,000 more than a year earlier, thanks largely to accelerating growth in Ukraine and Russia.
This was most noticeable in Q4, when 72,000 subscribers were added. Mini pay-TV subscriptions were meanwhile received in 64,285,000 homes, compared to 50,245,000 at the end of 2010.
However, operating income slumped by 78% year-on-year in Q4 to SEK7 million, and in the year as a whole it fell by 56% to SEK49 million. MTG’s net sales in both Q4 and full year 2011 were 3% higher than a year earlier.
Its net income of SEK3,541 million in 2010 contrasted with a loss of SEK1,289 million in 2011.
A loss was also recorded in Q4 (SEK2,564 million), compared to a net income of SEK2,359 million a year earlier.
