The latest figures from Canal Plus reveal a total of 12.789 million pay TV subscribers in Europe as of September 30, an increase of 17 per cent over the previous year. International subscriptions grew 28 per cent. Some 3.4 million of them are for digital services, an increase of 65 per cent. The Canal Plus premium channel in France now has 4.5 million subscribers. Canalsatellite recorded growth of 285,000 over the past 12 months, possibly helped by an expanded football offer.
Internationally, demand was boosted in French-speaking Belgium by an August ‘cash and carry’ offer in shopping centres. In Spain, Canal Satelite passed the three quarter million mark while the premium channel subscriptions increased by 27 per cent over the previous year.
Canal Plus reported an improved performance in the Nordic countries, with close to 90,000 new subscriptions in the first nine months, compared with 30,000 for the year before. Canal Plus also claimed good results in Poland, with a 39 per cent increase in subscriptions to the premium channel. However, the total for Cyfra+ just edged up to 169,698 from the previous year’s 151,916. Although subscriptions in North Africa had declined since January owing to what Canal Plus calls "the highly seasonal nature of the business in this region", Canal reported that subscriptions were 11 per cent up on the figure for September 1998. Canal+ Horizons is to be marketed as a premium channel on the Canalsatellite Madagascar package, which launched in October.
| Digital subscribers (in 000s) | ||
| France | International | |
| Sept 98 | 1089 | 996 |
| Sept 99 | 1,534 | 1,907 |
| Source: Canal Plus | ||
| Pay TV subscribers | |||
| France | 30.9.99 | 30.6.99 | 30.9.98 |
| Canal + (individual) | 4,499,675 | 4,436,003 | 4,366,695 |
| Canal + (collective) | 321,754 | 319,007 | 292,491 |
| Canal Satellite (bouquet) | 1,248,518 | 1,196,083 | 963,744 |
| NC Numericable | 369,432 | 367,177 | 352,192 |
| Total | 6,439,379 | 6,318,270 | 5,975,122 |
| International | 30.09.99 | 30.06.99 | 30.09.98 |
| Belgium (Wallonia) | 190,776 | 187,991 | 171,297 |
| Canal Plus (premium) | 169,668 | 169,562 | 171,297 |
| Le Bouquet (basic) | 21,108 | 18,349 | – |
| Belgium (Flanders) | 181,906 | 179,598 | 166,036 |
| Canal Plus (premium) | 160,933 | 159,281 | 157,449 |
| Canal Digitaal (basic) | 20,973 | 20,317 | 8,587 |
| Spain | 2,458,510 | 2,396,502 | 2,111,679 |
| Canal Plus (premium) | 1,707,322 | 1,682,761 | 1,564,122 |
| Canal Satelite (basic) | 751,188 | 713,741 | 547,577 |
| Italy | 1,937,544 | 1,720,576 | 1,374,789 |
| Telepiu (premium) | 1,071,343 | 991,912 | 920,573 |
| D+ (basic) | 597,038 | 475,417 | 281,485 |
| +Calcio (soccer) | 269,163 | 252,247 | 172,731 |
| Netherlands | 281,329 | 271,797 | 244,087 |
| Nordic Countries | 692,938 | 635,095 | 531,948 |
| Canal Plus (premium) | 422,561 | 384,820 | 333,531 |
| Canal Digital (basic) | 270,377 | 250,275 | 198,417 |
| Poland | 471,132 | 452,414 | 245,835 |
| Canal Plus (premium) | 301,434 | 300,498 | 245,835 |
| Cyfra+ (basic) | 169,698 | 151,916 | – |
| Africa | 136,011 | 139,157 | 123,866 |
| Total | 6,350,146 | 5,983,050 | 4,969,537 |
| Source: Canal Plus | |||
