Discovery Italia profits up 64% in 2015
August 9, 2016
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
Italy’s fourth largest broadcaster, Discovery Italia, registered a 64 per cent annual growth in profits in 2015, to €8.5 million, while turnover grew 17 per cent to €194.8 million.
In the same period, advertising revenues increased 19.4 per cent to €174.6 million. The positive trend continued during the first half of 2016, with ad revenues up 17.4 per cent to €114.7 million.
Viewing figures are also up by 15 per cent y/y, to a 7.2 per cent share of total TV viewers.
Discovery Italia owns and manages 13 free-to-air and pay-TV channels that are aired via DTT and DTH/satellite, as well as the OTT service Dplay, which already has over 11 million unique users.
The FTA portfolio consists of seven channels: Nove (formerly Deejay TV), Real Time, Dmax, Giallo, Focus, Fresbee and K2.
Of the five premium channels (Discovery Channel, Discovery Science, Discovery Travel & Living, Animal Planet and Eurosport), all but one are aired exclusively by pay-TV platform Sky Italia. Eurosport is also available on rival Mediaset Premium.
In June, Discovery Italia signed a distribution agreement with telco Vodafone Italia for its seven FTA channels.