Tele Columbus posts improved financials but loses TV customers

Tele Columbus HQ

German cable operator Tele Columbus, which trades under the PŸUR brand, has reported improved financials for the second quarter but lost 50,000 cable TV customers over the same period.

The company posted revenues of €126.3 million for the quarter, up 8.4% year-on-year. Normalised EBITDA was €58.4 million, up 10.9%, with capital expenditure down 46.2% year-on-year to €24.6 million.

However, Tele Columbus reported “a mixed RGU development” for the quarter that included the loss of cable TV customers, down 50,000 year-on-year, and flat premium TV numbers. Fixed voice numbers also fell, although the operator added 6,000 broadband subscribers year-on-year.

Tele Columbus had 2.34 million customers at the end of the quarter, down 4,000 on the previous quarter, with the cable TV total numbering 2.258 million, down 11,000 on the previous quarter. The operator had 553,000 premium TV subscribers, down 1,500 quarter-on-quarter, and 577,000 broadband customers, up 1,800. Phone customers dropped 3,200 over the quarter to 431,000.

The operator said that its revenue growth was driven by its B2B business, where sales were 26.3% up. Internet and phone revenues benefited from price increases. EBITDA was also boosted by margins in the B2B segment.

The decline in capex came after a prior year that saw the operator hit by integration costs.

Tele Columbus upgraded an additional 60,000 homes in the quarter with FTTB/H connections.

“Improving leading indicators across all areas of the business are proving that the transformation of Tele Columbus is progressing well. As a result of the positive development over the past 12 months, I am confident that we will be able to reach our goals for 2019,” said CEO Timm Degenhard