European pay-TV renews growth spurt

net1

According to a report from media research firm Screen Digest, growth prospects for European pay television operators are positive and more sustainable than they were during the boom years of the late 1990s.

Growth in the number of European pay-TV subscribers has seen a steady decline since the launch of Europe's first digital TV platforms between 1996 and 1998.

That decline is now set to reverse, with a forecast 2.6m net additions in subscriber numbers in 2004, compared with an additional 1.3m in 2003. The industry is on course for 2.6m net additions in 2004, compared with 1.3m in 2003. By 2008, there will be 94.4m pay TV households in Europe, compared to 82.4m at the end of 2003 - a rise of 13%.