Spanish pay-TV subscribers top 7 mln in Q4


Spanish pay-TV subscribers exceeded 7 million for the first time at the end of December after rising 6.4 percent year on year to reach 7.2 million, according to the latest official data released by communications regulator CNMC. The rise was led by a surge in IPTV subs, which climbed by 189,000 year on year to end 2019 on 4.71 million, while online TV subs more than doubled to 648,000. Cable subscribers remained steady at 1.30 million while satellite TV take-up fell by 120,000 to 554,000. Some 88 percent of pay-TV subscribers contracted their service via convergent packages in Q4, added the watchdog.
Pay-TV revenues in Spain were up around 2 percent year on year to EUR 565 million in Q4, with FTA revenues staying flat at EUR 521 million. Broadcasters Atresmedia and Mediaset continued dominating the TV ad market, with 41.7 percent and 40.0 percent of revenues respectively, while average viewing time fell by 8 minutes from a year earlier to an average of 3 hours and 31 minutes a day per person.