Spanish pay-TV gained subscribers in 2010 but failed to increase its total revenues, according to the latest report from the CMT (Telecommunications Market Commission). The number of pay TV subs grew by 7.7 per cent to 4.5 million, 10.4 per cent to 5 million including mobile TV.

Pay DTT, cable and IPTV were the winners in capturing new customers with a growth of 50 per cent, 10 and 7.3 per cent respectively to 1.5 million and 855,584 at the end of 2010, with digital DTH dropping by 3.9 per cent to 1.7 million subscribers.

But pay TV revenues decreased 4.9 per cent to €1.681.3 billion mainly due to a significant fall in VoD sales and pay-per-view purchases, and from offers on subscriber fees. Digital DTH platform Digital Plus was also leader in revenues with €1.083.3 billion, down 13.3 per cent, cable TV was second with E328.1 million, up 0.2 per cent, IPTV platforms third with E206.7 million, up 24 per cent and pay DTT with E47.1 million. Mobile TV services represented E16.2 million in revenues.

As a whole, the fall in pay-TV revenues contributed to a drop of 2.1 per cent in the total revenues of the whole Spanish audiovisual sector that ended 2010 with €4.423 billion, according to CMT. FTA TV’s revenues amounted to €2.335 billion, down 0.9 per cent, with the largest private stations, Tele 5 and Antena 3, being the main beneficiary of the ad ban on public television RTVE. Private TV revenue grew by 23.2 per cent with their ad revenues at €1.912 billion with Tele 5, Antena 3, Cuatro and La Sexta taking 84.8 per cent of all ad revenues, with others like Regional Channels, Net TV and Veo registering €325.7 million.

State subsidies granted to public TV by 57.8 per cent to €2.013 billion.

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