Cable Television Growth Continues

Take-up of cable television continued to rise in the second quarter of this year. The latest figures from the Independent Television Commission (ITC) show that 12.6% of all homes in the UK now watch television over broadband cable. This compares to 12.4% in the last report (see Cable TV Take-Up Rises).

Of the 12.1 million households which are passed for broadband cable services, 24.9% have been connected to cable television; 35.7% sign up for all cable services including telephony. Cable television services rose by 17.5% in the first six months of the year compared to the same period last year; telephony services were up 24% during the same period, with almost 900,000 new telephone lines installed.

Build rate for the first six months of this year was down however; only 800,000 new homes were passed and marketed for cable services, the lowest rate for six years.

The main players in the UK cable industry continue to scramble for subscribers. NTL has the highest penetration rate; its services now reach almost 29% of its 3.5 million homes. Telewest however has a greater number of homes passed; 4.2 million homes are passed to use its services but only 24.9% of people are connected. NTL’s recent acquisition of the third most powerful player in the industry, Cable and Wireless Communications, has meant that Telewest has been knocked from its prime position (see NTL Spends £8.2bn On Cable & Wireless Communications). CWC Communications reach 21.1% of its 3.9 million homes.

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Independent Television Commission: 0171 306 7743