Iñaki Ferreras ©RapidTVNews | 03-08-2011

Spanish thematic channels are on the rise in spite of the economic crisis, according to the latest data by research consultancy Kantar Media.

The economic crisis could cause the market to decline as consumers become reluctant to pay to watch TV, as is the case in the US, where cable subscribers are unsubscribing at a speedy pace. But in Spain the group of approximately 80 pay-TV thematic channels saw their share rise last July, reaching a total 6.8%.

Kantar Media’s report also highlights that DTT consumption reached 79.8% in July, the same as the previous month. In addition, cable TV consumption fell 15% and satellite TV grew to position itself at 5.2% of total TV consumption.

Last July was the month with the highest TV consumption in Spain, with 209 minutes per day on average. By regions, the Canary Islands, Catalonia, Comunidad Valenciana and Andalucía are watching most television, while Madrid and Castilla-Leon are watching the least.
As for the leading broadcasters, Mediaset España’s Telecinco was the most watched for the second consecutive month, with a share of 15.7%. And the regional channels’ share went down for the third consecutive month to 9.2% of total national share. In this sector, Catalonia’s public broadcaster TV3 was the most popular, with a share of 12.4%.