Türk Telekom sees TV base decline as economy takes toll

Türk Telekom had 2.9 million satellite TV and IPTV subscribers at the end of June, down 3.7% year-on-year.

The operator’s Tivibù Home offering meanwhile had 1.5 million customers at the end of the second quarter, down 2.4% year-on-year.

In inflation-racked Turkey, which saw prices rise by an average of 78.6% in the year to June, TV ARPU overall stood at TRY25.70 (€1.40), up 19.2% year-on-year.

Türk Telekom has 17.1 million fixed access lines, 14.6 million broadband, 2.9 million TV and 24.6 million mobile subscribers as of June 30

The decline in TV numbers came as Türk Telekom’s broadband base grew, albeit at a modest pace.

The operator had 14.6 million retail broadband customers at the end of the quarter, up 5.5%. Fibre customers – including both FTTH and FTTC customers – increased by 32.5% to 10.7 million.

Overall, Türk Telekom had 52.2 million subscribers at the end of June, with 53,000 net additions in the quarter. Net broadband additions numbered 87,000. Mobile telecom additions numbered 246,000, mirroring fixed voice losses of 264,000.

Total revenue was TRY10.7 billion up 31% nominally. EBITDA was TRY4.4 billion, up 10%.

Fixed broadband revenue was TRY3.286 billion, up 26%.

“Q2’22 has clearly demonstrated a fresh set of adversities. Inflation has proven to be an even bigger problem to tackle with for individuals, corporates, governments and central banks alike across the globe. Consumers were highly challenged by the pricing environment in general which has dictated more scrutiny on typical baskets. In this backdrop, we implemented our plans to weather the storm with highest focus on mitigating risks while generating healthy growth on a sustainable basis,” said CEO Ümit Ömal.

“Managing our subscriber base was an uneasy task but our steadfast priority for quality services, customer experience and value maximisation has lent great support to our satisfying operational and financial performance. The second half of 2022 will continue to be tough, we think. Therefore, we maintain caution and keep ourselves fit to remain resilient and financially sound. Our very goal to play our part perfectly in Turkey’s transformation into a digital society stays intact. We are confident that, that path assures the fulfilment of our responsibility to all our stakeholders too.”