Dutch cable operators reach milestone of 2 million digital TV customers

HOUTEN, The Netherlands — The number of TV connections in the Netherlands grew by 0.5 percent during the first quarter to 7.95 million on 31 March 2009, driven by 3.9 percent growth in digital TV customers to 4.155 million, according to Telecompaper’s Dutch Television Market Q1 2009 report. The cable network operators continue to dominate the Dutch TV landscape, with a share of 72.4 percent of the entire TV market and 50.2 percent of the digital TV market, equal to more than 2 million digital cable TV connections. Satellite, the second most used TV technology, saw its market shares stabilise at 13 percent and 25 percent respectively, while terrestrial closed in with 9.9 percent and 19 percent.

Telecompaper has maintained its forecast for quarterly digital TV subscriber growth of between 4 and 5 percent during the rest of 2009, driven by KPN and the cable network operators. The increase in digital TV penetration as well as the economic downturn will result in a slowdown in quarterly growth from an average 5.6 percent in 2008.

On the digital TV market, Ziggo is the largest provider, after adding 58,000 customers during the first quarter to end March 2009 with 1.18 million digital TV customers. UPC saw its share of the digital TV market decrease to 16.1 percent, despite winning 21,500 net additions during the first quarter to reach a total 670,500 on 31 March 2009. Satellite TV operator Canal Digitaal continued to lose market share in digital TV, ending the quarter with 840,000 customers, while KPN is closing in with 835,000 digital TV customers at the end of March. KPN’s share of the total TV market grew by 3.2 percent year-on-year to 10.5 percent, and its share of the digital TV market grew by 3.9 percent to 19.3 percent.