Romania sees TV service provider growth, digital progress

Romanian TV retransmission services including cable, satellite and IPTV systems served over six million homes, representing total household penetration of over 85%, at the end of 2012, according to a survey by regulator ANCOM.

Cable networks grew 6.4% year-on-year to 3.8 million subscribers, with cable penetration now standing at 53.6%. DTH grew by 2.3% to 2.19 million, a recovery from the fall in numbers recorded in 2011, and IPTV grew by 34% to 37,000. The number of subscribers to all networks was 5% up year-on-year.

Cable is dominant in the urban areas that account for 61% of all subscribers, with 80% of homes in these areas using cable to receive TV. In rural areas, 63% of homes subscribe to DTH networks.

Digital cable subscribers grew by 40% to 1.24 million, or a third of all cable subscribers. Overall, Romania had 3.4 million digital TV homes at the end of 2012, up 13.4%, with satellite networks accounting for 63% of digital homes.