Orange turns in solid 2Q, sees TV growth

Orange had 7.435 million TV customers at the end of June, up from 6.767 million at the end of the same period last year.

In France, the operator had 6.15 million satellite and TV customers, up from 5.776 million last year. The operator had 10.497 million fixed broadband customers in June, up from 10.174 million.

In Poland, Orange had 761,000 TV customers at the end of June, up from 720,000 a year earlier. However, broadband customers slipped from 2.281 million to 2.159 million.

In France, fixed broadband ARPU fell slightly, from €40 to an estimated €39.90 in France, while in Poland fixed broadband ARPU rose from PLN60.60 (€14.60) to PLN60.80.

In Spain, Orange had 137,000 TV customers, up from 91,000 a year earlier. Broadband customers numbered 2.041 million, up from 1.83 million a year earlier. In a highly price competitive market, broadband ARPU fell from €28.90 to €27.40.

Overall, Orange had 143,000 net broadband additions in the second half, and added 157,000 to its high-speed fibre offerings, taking its fibre total to 720,000.

Solid performances in fixed line and mobile services led to Orange turning in a small increase in overall revenues for the second quarter of 0.4% after a 0.3% fall in the first quarter. First half revenues were down 0.6% on a comparable basis to €19.557 billion.

Confirming Orange’s financial objectives for the year, chairman and CEO Stéphane Richard said: “We are particularly pleased with these results which mark a return to revenue growth in the second quarter, excluding regulation, for the first time since 2011. We delivered a very good commercial performance especially in France, Belgium, Romania and throughout the Africa and Middle East region. This dynamic commercial activity is underpinned by significant investment in very high-speed fixed and mobile broadband and the Orange team’s daily commitment to our customers, both of which form part of our Essentials2020 strategic plan. Through these efforts, we now have more than 12 million 4G customers in Europe and have doubled our level of acquisition of fixed broadband customers in France thanks to fibre.”