Revenues generated by Canadian firms in providing direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV and multipoint distribution system (MDS) services have soared since 1998, according to statistics released this week by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Total revenues for DTH and MDS services reached C$941 million (US$656 million), up from a mere C$43.1 million (US$30 million) in 1998. The number of subscribers topped the 2 million mark last year, compared to 227,005 in 1998. In 2002, Canadian DTH and MDS firms employed 2,139 people and paid out $109.9 million (US$76.7 million) in salaries.

This gains from DTH and MDS contrast with a decrease in the number of basic cable TV subscribers over the same period. In 1998, there were a total of 7,247,709 cable TV subscribers, but in 2002 the number dipped to 7,015,041. However, total revenues for the Canadian cable TV industry grew 41 percent between 1998 and 2002, reaching C$3.9 billion (US$2.72 billion) in 2002.