A controversial 10% tax on pay-TV services introduced in Greece last year has effectively brought growth in the industry to a standstill.
Indeed, Ekathimerini reports that it only grew by 0.2% in 2016.
Quoting figures from the country’s two main pay-TV providers – the incumbent OTE, which operates Cosmote TV, and telco Fortnet, operator of Nova – it adds that as of the end of 2016 there were a combined total of 940,000 pay-TV subscribers. This was only 2,000 more than a year earlier and was preceded by much stronger growth in 2015 and 2014, when pay-TV addition amounted to 79,000 and 153,000 respectively.
Although the tax came into effect on June 1 last year, it was public knowledge for some time before, as part of Greece’s bailout plan.
It is likely to have put many households off taking up pay-TV services or not renewing their existing contracts.
