At the end of 2013, there were around 3.17 million subscribers to the subscription TV service in Portugal, 4 thousand more subscribers than reported at the end of 2012. Between the third and fourth quarter of the year, the number of customers increased by 0.3% (an additional 8,500 customers).
The growth reported in the service stems from offers supported over optical fibre (FTTH/B) and xDSL, where, compared to the previous quarter, the number of subscribers increased by 4.5% and 3.4%, respectively. The number of subscribers to cable TV distribution and DTH services fell during the fourth quarter, respectively, by 1.1% and 2.8%.
In December, the cable television distribution service made up 44.2% of all subscribers, while xDSL represented 21.6% and DTH 19.3%. Optical fibre (FTTH/B) was used by 14.9% of all subscribers.
It is estimated that 77.9% of subscription TV subscribers received their service as part of a bundle. The growth rate in the number of bundles with subscription TV was 2.4% in the last quarter of the year.
Grupo ZON Optimus had the highest share of pay-TV subscribers (47.8%), followed by PTC, Cabovisão and Vodafone with shares of 41.5%, 7.1% and 3.5%, respectively.
Total revenues from the subscription TV service (stand-alone and bundles that include this service) totalled 1.2779 billion euros (increasing 3.1% compared to the same period of 2012).
Residential customers who acquired the subscription TV service as part of a multiple-play bundle report average monthly expenditure of 47.50 euros when they have a bundle of TV with the Internet and fixed telephone service (4.2% lower than in the same period of 2012). Customers receiving the service in a bundle of television with Internet pay an average of 39.6 euros (5.3% lower than in the same period of 2012). Customers with a bundle of television and fixed telephone saw their average monthly spend rise 2% to 31.6 euros.
At the end of December, about 19.4% of homes with subscription TV had access to premium channels (a decline of 1.2 percentage points compared to December 2012), while 58.7% had access to more than 80 channels (an increase 10 percentage points compared to the December 2012).
Consult the statistical report:
- Subscription television service - 4th quarter 2013 https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1191976
