Digital TV subscribers pass 6 million mark in the Netherlands

The Netherlands’ Independent Post and Telecommunications Authority (Onafhankelijke Post en Telecommunicatie Autoriteit – OPTA) has published new figures on the communication markets in the country for Q1 2012.

The number of TV subscriptions at the end of the quarter was 7.7 million. Although the total was stable, the proportion of digital subscriptions increased. Nearly eight in ten subscriptions were digital compared with seven out of ten at the same point one year before.

67% of households subscribed to cable compared with 71% the year before. 69% of those connections were digital. The number of households that only have analogue cable declined by 9% in the quarter to just under 1.6 million.

The number of households taking alternatives to cable increased by 2.4% from 2.49 million to 2.55 million.

Television: Radio & TV subscriptions (standard package, national level)
Based on figures from CAIW, CANALDIGITAAL, COGAS, DELTA, HERTZINGER, KPN, REGGEFIBER, TELE2, T-MOBILE, UPC and ZIGGO

                                           2010                        2011   2012
                            -------------------  --------------------------  -----
                             30-6   30-9  31-12   31-3   30-6   30-9  31-12   31-3
                            -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----
Analogue cable              2.718  2.587  2.448  2.265  2.095  1.888  1.741  1.592
Digital (+analogue) cable   2.695  2.778  2.886  3.026  3.176  3.338  3.440  3.538
                            -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----
Total cable                 5.413  5.366  5.334  5.291  5.271  5.226  5.182  5.129
Others*                     2.013  2.088  2.166  2.247  2.319  2.397  2.487  2.547
                            -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----
Total                       7.426  7.454  7.500  7.538  7.590  7.623  7.669  7.677

* digital terrestrial, digital satellite, IPTV over DSL, FttH