The Croatian incumbent Hrvatski Telekom (HT) ended 2015 with 388,000 TV subscribers, or 1.5% less than a year earlier.
The greatest reduction was in the number receiving IPTV services, down by 5.1% to 316,000, while its cable customer total fell a more modest 0.4% to 6,000.
On the other hand, its DTH subscriber base increased by 20.6% to 65,000. TV ARPU also increased in the year, up by 1.3% to HRK81 (€10.6).
HT notes that its TV revenue last year was in line with 2014 despite a lower TV customer base. The fall in subscribers was down to TV market saturation, lower spending power of households and some viewers switching to DTT services. Meanwhile, TV ARPU was higher thanks to new and exclusive content.
HT’s revenues in 2015 amounted to HRK6,919 million, a 0.2% reduction on the previous year. EBIT was HRK1,199 million (-2.2%) and net profit HRK925 million (-19.1%).
Commenting on the results and plans for 2016, Davor Tomaskovic, president of the management board of HT, said: “We look back at a very successful year, in which we stabilised all financial indicators and laid the foundations for further growth and development of our business. Investment in infrastructure development for fast mobile and fixed Internet and completion of the IP migration project has positioned us alongside Europe’s top telecommunications operators; once more, we have reaffirmed our position of the absolute technology leader in the Croatian market. Furthermore, we significantly increased customer satisfaction in all areas, from the first line of communication, over network quality, to the final product. In 2016, we will continue to invest in infrastructure development and business transformation, and we will focus our technological know-how and expertise on innovation and further improvement of customer experience. This will enable us to continue offering our customers the best quality and fastest service. Also, we will continue eyeing opportunities for potential expansion of HT’s operations in Croatia and the region”.
