The quarterly drop was similar to Q1 2019, but more than double the number of subscribers lost in the previous three quarters, according to the Telecompaper Dutch Television Q1 2020 report. Notably, IPTV services over DSL showed a first drop in subscribers, alongside further losses for cable, satellite and DTT. This may be due to KPN’s phasing out of its low-cost brand Telfort as well as consumer migration to TV over fibre networks.
KPN loses most TV subscribers
The KPN group lost the most subscribers in Q1, with a drop of 18,000. That’s the fourth consecutive quarter of TV losses for KPN, taking its market share to 31.4 percent of TV subscribers compared to 32.1 percent a year ago. Its main rival Ziggo also has been losing customers, but at a slower rate, and has kept its market share stable in the past year at over 52 percent.
T-Mobile becomes number 4
T-Mobile became the fourth-largest TV provider in Q1, with nearly 3 percent of the market. The challenger continues to add TV subscribers, but at a slower rate in Q1, as its Tele2 brand lost customers. Canal Digitaal, recently acquired by Canal Plus, is number 3 in the Dutch TV market with a stable share of just over 4 percent, as its expansion in IPTV services offsets losses at its satellite business.
Telecompaper expects the TV market contraction to accelerate in 2020, with the number of subscribers falling by over 1 percent in the full year to less than 7.3 million connections. Ziggo’s shutdown of analogue TV services, as well as a growing number of ‘cord nevers’, uninterested in a traditional TV subscription, will lead to fewer subscribers. Revenues are forecast up slightly still in 2020, as annual inflation price increases offset the drop in customers.
The above figures are based on Telecompaper’s continuous research of the Dutch communications market. A detailed analysis of the Dutch TV market, including connections and revenues by technology and providers, is available in our quarterly Dutch Television Market report, the latest edition of which is now available for purchase. To order a copy of the report or receive a customized analysis, please contact research@telecompaper.com.
