Orange sees modest rise in TV base

Orange saw its TV subscriber base increase modestly in the fourth quarter of 2023 amid a set of overall solid results.

The telco ended with 12.458 million IPTV and satellite TV customers globally, up from 12.449 million in September, despite a decline in Orange’s overall fixed broadband base.

While broadband numbers dipped, the company’s FTTH and cable base rose, from 25.064 million to 25.175 million sequentially, partially offsetting a decline in its xDSL base from 6.53 million to 6.167 million. Fixed wireless subscribers also rose in the period.

In France, Orange’s TV base increased from 7.934 million to 7.946 million sequentially, while in Spain, where it has been counting OTT customers within the total since the third quarter, its TV base grew from 1.298 million to 1.313 million.

In Poland, Orange’s TV base rose from 936,000 to 945,000 TV customers in Belgium and Luxembourg declined slightly, from 835,000 to 832,000, while in central and eastern Europe TV numbers also declined, from 1.446 million to 1.422 million.

Globally, Orange expressed satisfaction with the year-end results, with a 1.8% like-for-like increase in the top line taking full-year turnover to €44.122 billion. EBITDaL was up1.3% on a like-for-like basis to €13.035 billion.

On the TV front, Orange completed the sale of its OCS pay TV division to Canal+ in January, with CEO Christel Heydemann commenting that Orange had “continued to streamline our portfolio”.

Heydemann meanwhile said she was “confident in the outcome of the approval process currently underway by the European Commission” regarding the merger of its Spanish unit with MásMóvil, with a decision expected by February 22. She also said that the company’s acquisition of rival operators in Belgium and Romania had “considerably strengthened our position in these markets”.

“One year on from the announcement of our ‘Lead the Future’ strategic plan, we have achieved all our financial targets for 2023. These results are a testament to our ability to execute and advance our major strategic projects,” said Heydemann.