Com Hem ups connections, preps TiVo launch

Swedish cable operator Com Hem recorded 1.78 million connected homes at the end of the second quarter, up 30,000 from last year, and confirmed that its long-awaited TiVo launch will come this quarter.

Com Hem said that it took a “crucial step” towards its TiVo rollout in Q2 after opening pre-registrations for the service and said that both TiVo and its new broadband portfolio, which will offer downstream speeds of up to 500 Mbit/s and upload speeds of up to 50 Mbit/s, will be available in the market during Q3.

The firm said it was also developing new products and services, investing in new business areas and had signed framework agreements in Q2 with communications operators Open Universe, Zitius and IP Only, giving it the opportunity to act as a service provider in these operators’ networks.

“We have a huge, untapped potential in all the tens of thousands of properties that are connected to Com Hem’s network. There are a multitude of closely held companies and sole proprietorships to which we can direct our competitive offerings of communication solutions. This is an exciting step in Com Hem’s development,” said Com Hem CEO Tomas Franzén.

Com Hem’s unique subscribers during the period totalled 821,700, a slight decrease from 823,400 in the preceding quarter. Digital-television subscriptions also fell slightly quarter-over-quarter to 605,700. High-speed broadband subscriptions rose marginally to 543,400.

Revenue for the quarter was SEK 1.108 billion (€127 million), compared to SEK1.148 billion in the same period last year. EBITDA was up coming in at SEK547 million, compared to SEK 541 million in the second quarter of 2012.