Telenet has said that the net loss of 11,300 basic cable TV subscribers in Q4 2012 represented lowest net loss rate in three years’ time.
Basic cable TV subscribers, including both analogue and digital services, totaled 2,122,700 at the end of 2012 as compared to 2,198,500 at the end of 2011. This implies a net organic loss of 75,800 basic cable TV subscribers for the full year 2012.
In Q4 2012, Telenet noted a substantial slowdown in churn from an average run?rate of 21,500 for the first three quarters of 2012 to 11,300 in Q4 2012. “This marked our lowest loss rate in three years’ time.”
At the end of 2012, approximately 74% of Telenet basic cable TV subscribers had opted for the interactive digital TV Platform. This represents a total of 1,573,500 digital TV subscribers, an increase of 16% as compared to the prior year.
For the full year 2012, Telenet added 217,700 net digital TV subscribers compared to 174,600 in 2011, converting approximately 26% of the remaining analogue cable TV subscribers to digital TV.
In Q4 2012, Telenet added 36,900 net digital TV subscribers, which was lower than the 50,100 net subscribers added in the prior year period.
At the end of December 2012, 195,400 customers subscribed to premium Sporting Telenet an increase of 10%.
In the course of Q1 2013, Telenet will start deploying the new YeloTV digital TV platform. YeloTV will be backwards compatible with the latest generation of the operator’s installed HD PVR boxes, covering more than 50% of the total digital TV customer base.
Duco Sickinghe, Telenet’s Chief Executive Officer, said in a statement: “All our advanced fixed services of broadband internet, fixed telephony and digital TV added more net RGUs than the year before, despite the intensely competitive landscape. Net additions for fixed telephony were 35% higher for the full year of 2012 compared to 2011 and we also added more net broadband internet subscribers compared to the prior year. The conversion of analogue cable TV subscribers to our digital TV platform showed a clear acceleration in 2012, while we noted an improving trend in basic cable TV churn in Q4 2012.
“Our customers continue to prefer centralizing all their data, voice and media services at Telenet, resulting in 77,300 net new triple?play subscribers in 2012. As a result, the ARPU per customer relationship grew by 9% to €45.9 for 2012, excluding revenue from mobile services. We still have a large single?play customer base, representing 29% of our overall customer base, which we are focused onupselling to our fixed and mobile services and bundled propositions.”
