Italian TV sector worth €8.9bn
January 3, 2019
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
The main Italian TV broadcasters achieved a turnover of €8.9 billion in 2017, down by 0.8 per cent on the previous year, but 3.6 per cent higher compared to 2013.
The drop was mainly due to reduced revenues from the TV licence fee (-7 per cent), which now accounts for 20 per cent of the total turnover.
Pay-TV revenues grew by 2.4 per cent and there was no major change for advertising revenue. The two sources are responsible for 35 per cent each of turnover.
The study from Italy’s Communications Authority (AgCom) also shows that EBITDA margin grew from 18.1 per cent in 2016 to 22.4 per cent in 2017, while EBIT went from a negative 3.6 per cent to a positive 2.9 per cent. The net operating result was positive for the first time since 2012, reaching €114 million, mainly due to Sky Italia and partly to RAI and Discovery Italia.
In the period 2013-2017, TV sector revenues increased by €300 million, thanks to pay-TV (+€107 million) and advertising (+€150 million).
The study took into account the results of the following broadcasters: Canale Italia, Chili TV, Discovery, La7, Mediaset (Italia), MTV (2013), NSTI (2014-2017), QVC Italia, Rai, Sky Italia, Telecity, Telelombardia, Telenorba, Triveneto, Viacom IMNs Italia.
AgCom also analysed the performance of the network operators, whose turnover reached €1.36 billion in 2017 (+2.4 per cent year-on-year), with InWit and EI Towers accounting for 60 per cent of the total. The average annual growth rate during the five-year period was 5.4 per cent.