Pay TV penetration reaches 78% of UK broadband households

Pay TV adoption in Germany and the UK has reached 86% and 78% of broadband households, respectively, according to new research from Parks Associates.

The research, announced at Connections Europe on Wednesday, revealed that Spanish adoption is much lower, with 47% of broadband households receiving only local broadcast channels.

“Spanish broadband households show enthusiasm for online video, with our research showing 54% watch free online video at least once a month, compared to 40% in the U.K. and 26% in Germany,” said Brett Sappington, director, research, Parks Associates.

“Yesterday’s keynote from Oliver Lewis at Sky Deutschland detailed the provider’s efforts to launch OTT services across Europe, including opportunities in Germany and Austria, where broadband penetration and device ownership are high.”

The research also shows that 10% of Spanish broadband households with a pay TV service plan to change to a new service provider in the next 12 months, compared to 9% in the UK and 4% in Germany.

Several pay TV providers plan use OTT services and second-screen features to attract subscribers or to motivate upgrades to premium services.