TDC hit by mobile pressure, mixed fortunes in TV

Danish telco TDC continued to suffer from competitive pressure in the Danish mobile market in the third quarter, with the performance of its TV activities failing to offset problems elsewhere. The company’s performance was anticipated and it remains on track to meet guidance, with activities outside Denmark performing relatively well.

The telco did report year-on-year growth in revenue of 4.5% and growth in gross profit of 3.7% thanks to its acquisition of Norwegian cable operator GET. However, organic revenue declined by 2.1% and organic EBITDA fell by 7%.

TDC had 1.381 million TV revenue-generating units at the end of the third quarter, down 3,000 quarter-on-quarter and down 23,000 year-on-year.

Cable arm YouSee’s base fell to 1.107 million at the end of the period, down from 1.113 million in the second quarter and down from 1.156 million at the same point last year. TDC and Fullrate IPTV customers grew to 274,000 from 271,000 in June and from 248,000 last year.

TDC said it was revitalising YouSee’s service by making its content available via the web and apps at home and on the go.

“YouSee is in the midst of revitalising its TV offering to meet the increasing popularity of on-demand services. This includes upgrading broadband customers to higher speeds as an enabler for on-demand services, as well as introducing an entertainment universe through an app featuring increased flexibility and on-demand availability,” said CEO Pernille Erenbjerg.

The share of households with only basic TV packages rose from 29.6% to 30.3%. YouSee ARPU fell from DKK243 to DKK241 quarter-on-quarter, while IPTV ARPU fell from DKK306 to DKK303.

On the positive side, the number of homes with three main products within the same brand rose from 457,000 to 469,000 quarter-on-quarter.

TDC’s Norwegian TV base – the result of its acquisition of cable operator GET – fell by 2,000 to 355,000 quarter-on-quarter. However, GET’s TV base rose year-on-year from 343,000, and broadband numbers were also up, from 243,000 to 248,000 quarter-on-quarter.