A1 Telekom Austria Group saw year-on-year reductions in its pay-TV subscriber totals in Croatia and Belarus in Q1.
However, it recorded increases in Bulgaria, Slovenia and North Macedonia. In Croatia, it ended the first quarter with 234,700 pay-TV customers, or 0.4% fewer than 12 months earlier. In Belarus, the total fell by 3.2% to 385,500.
Meanwhile, in Bulgaria the total rose 5.5% to 536,500 and in Slovenia by 14.2% to 71,600. North Macedonia recorded a 1.1% increase, posting 131,800 at the end of Q1. In A1’s home market Austria, the company ended the first quarter with 323,800 pay-TV subscribers, or 2.3% more than 12 months earlier. A1 Group as a whole had revenues of €1,126 million in Q1, or 3.4% more than in the same period last year. EBITDA amounted to €380.6 million and the net result was €89.3 million (+3.9%).
In his comments on the results, A1’s COO said: “In the first quarter, the number of mobile contract subscribers grew by 5.0% year-on-year, with rising or stable numbers in all markets. The 5G launch in Austria was also successful and the tariff portfolio was well received. Fixed net RGUs declined slightly by 0.9% year-on-year, with strong demand for TV and speed upgrades. The launch of the new TV platform A1 Xplore TV in Austria also contributed to this development.
“The entire Group was challenged with the onset of the Covid-19 crisis, with organisational agility proving to be a key factor in maintaining operations and delivering our services. Most of the shops in the A1 markets remained open, and a great share of employees now work in their home offices. The call centres also remained operational, and service technicians continued to work wherever possible to meet all customer needs.
“The focus on operational efficiency remains the most important factor in this environment and appropriate measures are on track. Provisions for bad debts were also increased due to the macroeconomic outlook, which had a negative impact on EBITDA growth. However, the medium and long-term effects of this global crisis will only become apparent over time due to the predicted economic downturn”.
