Canal Digital continues slow decline

Telenor’s Fornebu HQ

Telenor-owned pay TV service Canal Digital continued its long decline in subscriber numbers in the quarter to March, losing 16,000. Customers over the period.

Over the year to March, the pay TV service lost a total of 46,000 customers.

Canal Digital’s losses led Telenor’s Broadcast unit to a drop in revenues and EBITDA.

Telenor said that improved efficiency and a good sales performance from digital-terrestrial transmission unit Norkring and Telenor Satellite could not fully compensate for the effects of a lower customer base in Canal Digital.

Total broadcast revenues decreased by 3% to NOK1.488 billion (€154 million).

A 3% reduction in operating expenditures mainly within marketing and operational activities could only partly compensate for the reduction in revenues. EBITDA therefore decreased by 5% to NOK467 billion.

Canal Digital posted revenues of NOK1.066 billion, down from NOK1.132 billion, and EBITDA of NOK163 million, down from NOK218 million.