A leading analyst has described BT’s TV additions as “disappointing” after the telco added just 7,000 new subscribers in the quarter that includes the start of the football season.
The operator announced that as of September 30, 2017 it had an installed base of 1.8 million.
Paolo Pescatore, Vice President, Multiplay and Media, CCS Insight said it has been a modest quarter. “More than double consumer line losses is a worry and TV net additions was extremely disappointing. More so in in light of the new European football season given the huge focus on sports and TV services. Despite its strong assets, the company is struggling to cross sell more services into its existing subscriber base. Marc Allera faces some tough decisions with the integration of the consumer units and the forthcoming Premier League rights auction.”
The new BT TV app is free to all customers and includes access to the BT TV suite of channels. But there is now a charge for BT Sport for BT TV customers.
Average viewing figures for BT Sport for the quarter increased by eight per cent on 2016, boosted by a strong performance in both Premier League and UEFA Champions League, with six British teams having qualified for the group stage for the first time since the 2007/08 season.