VDSL push boosts TV growth for Deutsche Telekom

Deutsche Telekom saw strong growth for its domestic Entertain TV service in the fourth quarter and also saw a solid performance from TV in its other European markets in 2014. 

Deutsche Telekom had 2.442 million IPTV and satellite TV customers in Germany at the end of the year, up 65,000 quarter-on-quarter and up 12.2% year-on-year.

Demand for FTTH and VDSL broadband increased in the German markeet. In the fourth quarter, 323,000 customers opted for a fiber-optic-based line, 143%  more than in the prior year. Deutsche Telekom recorded particularly strong customer additions in the VDSL roll-out areas, triggered by the market launch of 1.3 million vectoring households in the fourth quarter. The operator said that 40% of new VDSL customers were opting for Entertain.

The operator also had 3.714 million TV customers – IPTV, satellite and cable – from its activities in other European countries, up 44,000 quarter-on-quarter and up 6% year-on-year.

In Greece, Telekom’s local subsidiary OTE had 384,000 TV subs at the end of the year, up 38.3% year-on-year. Romanian unit Telekom Romania had 1.414 million TV customers, up 4.5%, and Hungary had 923,000 subscribers, up 4.3%. However, in the Czech Republic, where Telekom’s local subsidiary shut down its TV service in November last year, the company recorded a loss of 29,000 TV customers in the course of the year. Similarly, the sale of Euronet in the Netherlands led to a loss of 59,000 TV homes in that market.

While revenue in its international market declined by 3.4% in 2014, Telekom noted that 26% of revenues now related to growth areas including TV and mobile broadband.

Telekom overall posted revenues of €62.7 billion for the year, up 4.2%, and EBITDA of €17.8 billion, up 12.5%.