Cable Congress 2018: 2017 a mixed bag for Euro cable TV market
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Editor
| 07 March 2018

There may have been an overall decline in cable TV subscribers in Europe in 2017 but the market had a resolute core that saw it fend off a US-like threat to business from cord-cutting according to research from IHS Markit.

Giving a keynote at Cable Congress 2018, IHS Markit research director Ted Hall presented a diverse vista with markets such as the UK, Serbia and Romania busily adding subs in 2017 while countries such as Sweden, Germany and in particular Russia shed them.

Yet the analyst stressed that despite this in terms of subs, what could not be denied was that cable TV has weathered the digital switchover storm with losses having been reduced, and more Europeans still receiving their pay-TV via cable than via any other technology. Indeed, the data showed that in terms of pay-TV market shares of primary homes in Europe by platform, 41% received service via cable compared with 32% via satellite and 24% via IPTV.

The digital transition was also a key driver for increases in cable ARPU and revenue in 2017. IHS Markit calculates that the advances were taking monthly ARPU towards €16 with just under €11 billion in total revenue for the year.

Hall did also emphasise though that while traditional pay-TV was thriving in Europe despite the competition from new entrants, by far the biggest video growth story regarded online TV even though Europe had not fallen victim to cord-cutting. That said in terms of revenues, IHS Markit's data showed that online video services were still a long way behind pay-TV leaders.