Portuguese: Pay-TV subs growth slows
September 9, 2024
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
Portugal’s pay-TV market reached 4.6 million subscribers at the end of the second quarter of 2024, an increase of 86,000 or 1.9 per cent from Q2 2023. This represents the lowest growth rate since the end of 2013, according to data published by the National Communications Authority (Anacom).
The residential segment accounted for the vast majority of subscribers, representing approximately 89 per cent of the total market, while the remaining 11 per cent were non-residential subscribers.
Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) technology has been the primary driver of growth, contributing to a 6.3 per cent increase in subscribers, reaching 3 million (+179,000 on Q2 2023). However, this growth rate is also the slowest recorded for FTTH since its introduction in 2007.
Cable TV was the second most used distribution technology (26.3 per cent), followed by satellite TV/DTH (6.8 per cent) and ADSL (1.7 per cent).
Pay-TV penetration in residential households reached 96 per cent, with the overwhelming majority of subscribers opting for bundled packages. Only a small percentage (1.9 per cent) subscribed to standalone TV services.
Meo (Altice Portugal) maintained its position as the leading pay-TV provider, holding a 41.8 per cent market share. The NOS Group followed closely with a 36.2 per cent share. Vodafone Portugal and Nowo accounted for 19.3 per cent and 2.7 per cent respectively.
While Meo (+0.4 per cent) and Vodafone (+0.3 per cent) experienced growth in their market shares, both NOS Group (-0.5 per cent) and Nowo (-0.2 per cent) saw slight declines.