Germany satellite homes grow despite switchover

Satellite homes in Germany grew by 100,000 in the first half of this year to reach 17.6 million, despite analogue switch-off in April, according to figures compiled by satellite operator SES.

According to SES’s Satellite Monitor, compiled by TNS Infratest, cable households fell by 300,000 to 17 million in the same period, while digital-terrestrial TV homes, boosted by switchover, reached two million by the mid-year point. IPTV homes reached 1.4 million, up 100,000 on the year-end figure.

HD homes numbered 7.2 million, with 41% of satellite homes watching HD content.

Ferdinand Kayser, chief commercial officer of SES, said: “These are outstanding results, especially for the transition of the analogue switch-off. Satellite is more popular than ever in Germany. The reason for our growth is simply that consumers value the benefits of linear satellite TV, combining unique picture quality with a large variety of channels. With new product initiatives like Sat IP, we will enable the reception of satellite TV on IP-based devices and thereby contribute to developing even further the capabilities of satellite, the most popular reception mode, for the benefit of all its current and future users.”