• THERE ARE NOW 79 MILLION FAMILIES IN WESTERN EUROPE (48% OF THE TOTAL) WHO PAY FOR TELEVISION SERVICES, INCLUDING “BASIC” CABLE PACKAGES
  
  
• SATELLITE TV IS BEING CHALLENGED BY NEW DIGITAL PLATFORMS (DTT AND IPTV), WHOSE PAY-TV SUBSCRIBER NUMBERS GREW RAPIDLY IN 2006

e-Media Institute publishes today the latest figures and new maps of western Europe's pay-TV markets, based on figures as of the end of December 2006.

With a 12.2% expansion, Italy is the top country in the ranking in terms of growth in pay-TV subscriber numbers during 2006.  It’s followed by Spain and Iceland, which enjoyed growth rates of 11.6% and 11% respectively.  Including digital terrestrial television (DTT) packages sold on pre-paid cards, Italy extends its leadership over other European markets, given that it’s the only country where this kind of subscription-free offer exists.  On top of the 4.2 million pay-TV subscribers in Italy, there are an additional 2 million households watching pay-per-view services over DTT.

In western Europe during 2006, the number of people subscribing to satellite packages increased by 6.4%, while those taking up pay offers via DTT and IPTV (Internet Protocol television) expanded at a faster rate, with growth of 34% and 111% respectively.  Still, in absolute terms, satellite TV remains the most important distribution platform for premium packages with 23 million subscribers.  By contrast, while there are a total of 50 million cable customers in the region, the vast majority of them take up entry-level offerings, paying a few euros a month to receive a clutch of basic channels.

In western Europe, 48 percent of all families pay a subscription to see television. In 2007, they will be more than 50% of the total.

*Country where there is no cable TV; users of pay-per-view services on digital terrestrial TV are excluded.
** Most of the subscribers get cable TV (“basic” service).