SES Astra says it has further boosted its reach in Germany, with 17.1 million homes, a record, now receiving satellite TV. In its latest study of German viewing – Astra’s largest market – it says that while IPTV connections are rising, cable and DVB-T are losing viewers. The numbers were presented at the IFA technology show in Berlin.

In the first half of 2011, direct-broadcast satellite was beamed into 430,000 additional households, taking the total up to 17.1 million. By contrast, cable TV is losing in popularity. The first six months of the year saw 260,000 households switch to a different form of TV reception. This has reduced the reach of cable TV to 17.9 million households. Digital terrestrial TV has also fallen in popularity. It has lost 300,000 households, bringing its coverage down to 1.7 million. However, Internet TV has continued to grow this year. For the first time ever, IPTV in Germany has reached the one-million mark.

The above data comes from the latest Satellite Monitor results for the first half of 2011. The research was carried out by market research company TNS Infratest on behalf of SES Astra and in cooperation with the broadcasting institutions of the German states. Between May and June 2011, TNS conducted 8,000 interviews across the country.

Astra says there are now 14.5 million households using DVB-S – digital broadcasting via satellite – which brings the percentage of homes that have gone digital to 85. Cable TV users are also going digital, but with the proportion at just 43 per cent, the majority (10.1 million households) are still receiving analogue services.

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