Vivacom hails IPTV success

Bulgarian telecom service provider Vivacom reported 410,000 pay TV customers at the end of 2016, of whom 42% took its advanced IPTV service.

The figure means that Vivacom added 41,000 TV customers in the course of 2016, representing growth in its base of 11%.

The 42% that took IPTV at the end of the year was five points higher than the 38% recorded at the end of 2015.

Vivacom had 437,000 fixed broadband customers at the end of the year, up from 390,000 a year earlier. Just over half of the fixed base is connected to the service provider’s fibre network, providing speeds of up to 900Mbps, a lift of seven percentage points year-on-year.

Vivacom posted revenues of BGN875 million (€446 million) for the year, up 3%. Fixed-line revenue was BGN336 million, down 1%.

Adjusted EBITDA for the group amounted to BGN311 million, down 6%.

A consortium led by Bulgarian businessman Spas Roussev acquired 100% control of Vivacom last September. Reports that the group was in talks with Orange were denied by Vivacom’s shareholders in November.

Separately, Vivacom is to use the Intelsat 33e satellite to distribute digital terrestrial television services throughout the country.

Vivacom is transitioning the DTT service to Intelsat 33e, which entered service in January, from Intelsat 12 at 45° East. The operator will continue to use Intelsat 12 and the 45° East location to further expand direct-to-home offerings in Bulgaria, uplink business and complement the DTT services.

“Intelsat has designed a customized and flexible solution that enables us to improve our DTT transmission in Bulgaria, relying on Intelsat 33e’s high power beams,” says Vladimir Rangelov, senior manager, broadcasting services, Vivacom.

“Intelsat’s network delivers a robust and flexible solution that we need to quickly adapt to the changing dynamics in the media landscape. Intelsat’s services support our mission to continue to deliver reliable, affordable services and the high-quality content that viewers expect.”