Viasat’s multiscreen TV proposition is establishing itself in the Nordic market, and growing month by month, says Jørgen Madsen Lindemann, President and Chief Executive Officer, of parent Modern Times Group.
Added distribution for the group’s free-TV channels, following agreements with Canal Digital, has led to plans to launch a third free channel in Norway and boost the penetration of Sweden’s TV10.
The Group has also now signed new distribution agreements with Telenor for TV10 to be included in the basic package of the Bredbandsbolaget IPTV network and the Canal Digital cable network in mid-2013.
In Denmark, audiences to TV3 are up 20% year-on-year.
Madsen Lindemann was cautious on how far Viaplay would go to compensate for the subscriber erosion on Viasat’s premium TV services.
Premium subscribers fell to 1,019,000 in Q4 2012 from 1,058,000 in the fourth quarter of 2011. 592,000 subscribers are to Viasat’s satellite packages and includes 341,000 HD subscribers.
The market is coming under pressure from launches by Netflix and HBO Nordic, which are both deploying across the Nordic market.
MTG is reducing its investment in the Ukraine with both package and pricing structures being reviewed within what is a highly competitive market. Losses of less than SEK 50 million for the full year 2013.
