The Italian telecom sector had revenues of €61.4 billion in 2012, down from €65.8 billion a year earlier, according to the latest AgCom (2013) annual report.
This, the report states, was due to the country’s shrinking economy and the decline in advertising revenue.
Media companies as whole saw their revenues decline year-by-year in 2012 to €15.7 billion.
Sky Italy was the leading broadcaster in revenue terms, claiming €2.63 billion, or 1.4% less than a year earlier.
Mediaset, on the other hand, posted €2.48 billion, down 13.2% on 2011.
The public broadcaster Rai was the leading broadcaster when considering only FTA services, its 48.3% share contrasting with Mediaset’s 38.9%.
Commenting on the decline in the telecom market’s revenues, Andrea Zappia, CEO of Sky Italia, said: “We operate in a single entertainment market in which all the operators are competing for the various resources available on all platforms – subscriptions, advertising, content and most of all the viewer’s attention. The industry is going through pivotal changes, with the continuous arrival of new entrants, therefore we need to have the courage to look at it from a long-term perspective. We need new rules, the same rules for all, based on a technologically neutral approach that puts the client at the centre”
With regards to Sky’s performance, he added: “Sky was rewarded by his subscribers for its investments in both technology and content despite the difficult economic situation. Investments that support the Italian audio-visual industry along with the country’s talent and creativity”.
