Photo: Rudy Zilstra
Despite increased competition by traditional satellite providers and newcomers such as IPTV platforms, the cable industry continues to show growth.
Speaking at the opening press conference of this year’s Cable Congress in Brussels, Caroline van Weede said that “this is a healthy sector, alive and kicking, and showing very good results.”
During the past year the industry added €1 billion in total revenue to a total of €21.51 billion, representing 4.6% revenue growth, according to research done by IHS in 28 European countries.
The fast changing industry also means a shift in income: last year, telephony and internet is almost 50% of revenue, but all products still continue to show growth: telephony was up 5.3%, internet plus 9%, total TV income up 1.8%, mainly due to migration successful to digital TV, (which was up 6%, and VOD up 13.7%)
In terms of subscribers, there were 2.7 million RGUs added in the year to a total of 112.5 million. The total number of TV subs was 55.9 million.
57.8% of TV subscribers are now digital. Digital TV plus VOD services now generate 74% of TV revenue.
“Our sector is growing through a time of tremendous change both in terms of the speed of technological development and new market entrants. Over-the-top players delivering services through the internet are reinventing business models and shaking up the traditional competitive scene,” commented Manuel Kohnstamm, president of Cable Europe.
“Consumers on the other hand expect affordable prices, good quality service and great content. Our smart investments to build superior networks are paying off in the form of state-of-the-art broadband access and a better-than-ever content experience.”
