TDC finds TV going tough as competition bites

Pernille Erenbjerg

Danish telco TDC saw a net loss of 4,000 TV customers in Denmark in the third quarter as a result of cord-cutting by residential customers.

TDC had 1.386 million Danish TV subscribers at the end of September, of whom 31.7% took an entry level package only.

TV revenue was flat over the first nine months of the year, growing by just 0.1% to DKK3.195 billion (€429 million). ARPU from TV including VOD was DKK255. Set-top box penetration stood at 28.5%.

TV ARPU from price rises at the start of the year were offset by customers migrating to smaller packages.

TV subscriber numbers were also flat at TDC-owned Norwegian cable operator Get. TV revenue increased by 1.7% to NOK1.802 billion thanks to price increases, but revenue growth was slower through the first nine months of the year than previously.

TDC said it had successfully completed the integration of its TDC and YouSee brands in Denmark but had failed to stem the volume of support calls, leading to a failure to meet some key performance indicators.

Overall, TDC saw revenue for the first nine months drop by 4.7% to DKK15.6 billion, EBITDA fell by 10.6% to DKK6.4 billion.

CEO Pernille Erenbjerg said that despite problems in the Danish market, the company’s gross margin was improving, while its Norwegian unit had delivered a strong performance overall.