Digital surpasses 60% of Dutch TV connections

HOUTEN, The Netherlands — The number of digital TV connections in the Netherlands grew by 3.9 percent or 183,900 net additions during the first quarter to 4.90 million on 31 March 2010. At the same time the total number of Dutch TV connections increased by 0.4 percent to more than 8 million, according to Telecompaper’s quarterly report on the Dutch TV market. The share of digital TV on the entire market grew to 61.3 percent. Most consumers receive digital TV via cable networks. Cable accounted for 54.4 percent of digital TV connections, up by 0.6 percentage points during the quarter. IPTV, delivered over ADSL networks, also increased its share of the digital TV market, by 0.9 percent year-on-year to 7.6 percent. Satellite saw its digital TV market share drop by 0.9 percent to 19.9 percent, and digital terrestrial TV lost 0.7 points during the quarter, to account for 18.0 percent of digital users.

“The Dutch digital TV market will continue to grow by between 3.5 and 4 percent per quarter during 2010, driven by cable operators as well as DSL providers KPN and Tele2 selling triple-play packages,” according to Telecompaper analyst Kamiel Albrecht.

On the digital TV market, cable operator Ziggo is the largest provider with a market share of 33 percent. KPN consolidated its position as the second-largest digital TV provider in the Netherlands, ending March 2010 with 21 percent of the digital TV market, followed by satellite TV provider Canal Digitaal, which saw its digital TV market share drop to 16.9 percent. Number four is cable operator UPC with 16.1 percent of the digital TV market.