The number of digital TV subscribers in the Netherlands grew by 1.6 percent during the third quarter to a total 6.3 million at the end of September, according to Telecompaper’s latest quarterly report on the TV market. The total includes 3.64 million cable TV subscribers who also have an analogue TV connection. Digital TV is now used by almost 82 percent of TV subscribers in the Netherlands. The total number of TV subscribers reached 7.72 million at the end of Q3, up 0.3 percent from three months earlier.
Ziggo was the largest digital TV provider in terms of customer numbers at the end of September, as well as the biggest provider on the overall TV market. KPN was in second place on the digital market and third on the total market, while UPC took third in digital and second on the overall market. Satellite provider CanalDigitaal ranked fourth in both markets.
Cable accounted for 57.7 percent of digital subscribers in Q3, despite losing share due to the growing adoption of IPTV via DSL or FTTH services. Terrestrial and satellite were the second and third most popular digital technologies, but both also lost market share in Q3 as DSL and FTTH continued to increase market share.
The growing number of TV providers over FTTH networks is helping to drive growth in the digital market, as are new 'second screen' services for customers to extend their TV subscriptions to mobile devices. Telecompaper expects the total TV market to grow by 1 percent this year, led by a 9 percent increase in digital subscribers.
