Telefónica TV base boosted by Movistar Play LatAm launch

Telefónica saw its TV base rise by 3% overall to 8.8 million in the year to March, boosted by a 16% rise in its IPTV base and an additional 900,000 homes signing up for new OTT service Movistar Play in Latin America.

In Spain, Telefónica grew its convergent customers base by 4% to 4.6 million, with 92% of the local TV base now signed up to convergent services, compared with 89% of broadband customer and 84% of mobile customers. Some 81% of customers now take the group’s TV service.

Telefónica’s Spanish pay TV customer base grew by 4% year-on-year, with 12,000 customers added in March, taking the total to 4.05 million.

In Brazil, the company’s IPTV base increased by 44% year-on-year, with 38,000 new connections in the quarter to March. The service is now available in 130 cities across the country.

Telefónica Hispam Sur – covering the southern part of Spanish-speaking America – saw pay TV numbers rise by 8% to 2.2 million, boosted by strong growth in Peru and a launch in Argentina. Users of the new Movistar Play OTT service in this region grew to 511,000 following the launch of the service in Argentina in March.

The Hispam Norte region, covering the northern Spanish-speaking countries, however, saw a fall in pay TV numbers of 3% year-on-year, hit by the crisis in Venezuela. The region had 967,000 pay TV customers at the end of the period.

Telefónica overall turned in revenues of €11.98 billion for the quarter, up 3.8%. Operating income before depreciation and amortisation was €4.26 billion, up 10.3%.