It is too early to say what effect Poland’s transition to digital broadcasting, which was completed only two months ago, will have on its cable industry.
However, according to Jerzy Straszewski, president of the Polish Chamber of Electronic Communications (PIKE), trends observed in the period September 2012 to August 2013 paint a complex picture.
They show that while 4.4% of cable subscribers migrated to DTT, 3.5% of terrestrial viewers turned to cable. At the same time, 6% of DTH subscribers moved to terrestrial, with 5.5% going in the opposite direction.
Encouragingly for cable, 3.5% of DTH subscribers turned to it during the period, with the flow in the other direction being only 1%.
There is nevertheless no denying that digital TV switchover significantly altered the TV market in Poland.
Straszewski added that it has already been observed that TV consumption in DTT homes has risen to 4 hours 22 minutes each day, while that in cable and satellite homes has fallen to four hours and eight minutes.
