TV growth boost for MTS

MTS president and CEO Andrey Duboskov

Russian service provider MTS had 2.75 million TV customers at the end of the second quarter, up from 2.745 million in March and up from 2.73 million at the half-way point last year.

MTS reported Q2 revenue of RUB108.1 billion (€1.5 billion), up 5.3%, including RUB97.4 billion in Russia, up 3.3%. However, OIBDA for the quarter was down 4.3% to RUB40.885 billion.

The company’s total active subscriber base grew by 3.5% to 109 million.

“In our fixed-line business, revenue decreased by 2.8% to RUB15.3 billion. We see continuous growth from our B2C broadband and pay TV markets, as market shares in Moscow in both home internet and pay TV rose. However overall B2B and B2G spending has fallen due to macroeconomic factors, which reduced overall voice calling,” said Vasyl Latsanych, VP, strategy and marketing.

President and CEO Andrey Dubovskov said that the company had managed to outperform the market despite difficult macoeconomic circumstances and competitive pressures.

Dubovskov identified home internet and pay TV as growth markets, along with Ukraine, where MTS’s mobile telecom subsidiary saw solid growth through the adoption of 3G data services.