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SPANISH TV MARKET IN GOOD HEALTH

By Staff Writer | July 18, 2001

      David Del Valle, Madrid

      Spain’s TV market reached E4,476.6 million revenues in 2000, representing the carriage and broadcasting of TV signals around E187 million (a decrease of 4.5 per cent) and satellite services around €82,6 million, according to an annual report produced by the Spanish Telecommunications Market Commission (CMT).

      Retevision, the domestic broadcasting agency, took the lion’s share in revenues as for the distribution of signals invoicing E141,4 million. Overall, TV revenues grew by 8 per cent in comparison with the previous year. 51.7 per cent of all revenues came from the advertising market, 26.3 per cent from pay-TV fees, 21.7 per cent from state subsidies and 0.3 per cent from others. Free-to-air terrestrial TV operators took 67.1 per cent of all revenues with state-owned public broadcaster RTVE leading the market. According to the report, Leading digital satellite platform Canal Satelite Digital took 12.1 per cent, whereas Via Digital 4.9 per cent. Terrestrial TV took 81.36 per cent of the total turnover, whereas satellite TV too, 18,15 per cent and cable, 0,49 per cent. However, terrestrial TV lost five points in market share on this point, whereas satellite significantly grew and cable doubled its revenues. As for pay-TV, the market recorded revenues of E1123,8 million, a rise of 19,1 per cent in comparison with the previous year.

      Sogecable, owner of Canal+ and Canal Satelite Digital, took 77.8 per cent of all revenues followed by Via Digital with 20 per cent, cable operators with 1.9 per cent and DTT operator Quiero with 0.9 per cent. In terms of subscribers, satellite is beating all its competitors representing 56.47 per cent of all pay-TV subscribers (more than three million subscribers), followed by Canal+ with 33.48 per cent and by cable with 10.05 per cent.

      Among the platform operators, Canal Satelite Digital took the lion’s share with 35.25 per cent of all subscribers, followed by Canal+ with 29.68 per cent, Via Digital, with 21.22 per cent, cable operators integrated into AOC with 5.70 per cent, ONO’s subscribers with 4.30 per cent, Quiero with 3.80 per cent and Telefonica Cable with 0.05 per cent.

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