The cable industry in the European Union has continued to despite increasing competition from traditional and Over-The-Top (OTT) players, according to a report by IHS Markit and Cable Europe, the European cable trade association. The report releases for the first time the consolidated full year European figures for 2015.
Key findings from the 2016 European Broadband Cable Yearbook
- Gross cable revenues totaled €22.4 billion in 2015, up from €21.2 billion in 2014;
- Germany and the UK were the largest markets in terms of revenue, generating €4.7 billion and €4 billion;
- TV’s €10.5bn in revenue for 2015 accounted for almost half of total cable revenue;
- The contribution of internet and telephony services in the European Union has risen over recent years, from 47% in 2010 to 53% in 2015.
“In response to challenges posed by other platforms, 2015 saw a determined effort by many operators to invest in infrastructure and significantly improve their offerings,” said the report’s author, Maria Rua Aguete, research director at IHS Technology. “Perhaps the most ambitious was Project Lightning, a huge broadband expansion programme undertaken by Virgin Media in the UK.”
Funded by a £3 billion ($3.76 billion) investment, Project Lightning aims to connect an additional four million UK homes and businesses, extending Virgin Media’s cable homes passed from 13 million today to 17 million by 2019. Leading operators across Europe have upgraded broadband networks, allowing operators to offer internet download speeds of up to 1Gbps.
