Dutch digital TV market to grow to over 6 million subscribers in 2011

HOUTEN, The Netherland — The number of digital TV connections in the Netherlands grew by 3.4 percent or 177,200 net additions during the fourth quarter of 2010 to 5.44 million on 31 December, according to Telecompaper’s quarterly Dutch Television Subscribers report. Digital TV increased its share of the entire TV market to 67.8 percent. The total number of Dutch TV connections increased to 8.03 million on 31 December 2010.

Most consumers receive digital TV via cable networks. Cable accounted for 55.3 percent of digital TV connections, followed by satellite with 17.3 percent (down 0.9%), terrestrial with 16.5 percent (down 0.6%) and IPTV with 9.1 percent, up 0.7 percent during the fourth quarter. FTTH had 1.8 percent of the digital TV market.

“After 15 percent annual growth in 2010, we expect the number of digital TV connections to grow by 12 percent in 2011,” said Telecompaper analyst and report author Kamiel Albrecht. “This will lead to a total of more than 6 million digital TV connections at the end of this year.”

On the digital TV market, cable operator Ziggo is the largest provider with a market share of 33.2 percent. KPN consolidated its position as the second-largest digital TV provider in the Netherlands, ending 2010 with 22 percent of the market, followed by cable operator UPC with 16.4 percent and satellite TV provider CanalDigitaal with 15.1 percent.