HD simulcast drives EU channel growth
April 5, 2016
The total number of TV channels established in the EU grew by 49 per cent from 3,615 TV channels in 2009 to 5,370 in 2015 (excluding local channels and windows) according to the MAVISE database of the European Audiovisual Observatory. The markets with the highest number of established channels in 2015 were the UK, France, Germany and Italy.
HD channels accounted for 57 per cent of the net increase of channels in the period from 2009 to 2015. Other genres with significant net channel growth in the same time period were sport (11 per cent of the total net increase) and entertainment channels (6 per cent of the total net increase).
Among the countries that host a significant number of TV channels several are specifically targeting other national markets and this includes the numerous linguistic versions of Pan-European branded channels (many of which are American). These major hubs include the UK, France, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden.