Report: Rostelecom services 10 mln pay TV subscribers

MOSCOW, Jul 13 (PRIME) -- State-controlled Rostelecom has become the first Russian fixed-line operator to service over 10 million pay TV subscribers as of the end of April–June, up 100,000 households on the quarter, business daily Vedomosti reported on Friday, citing Denis Kuskov, head of analytical agency Telecom Daily.

Rostelecom is the country’s second biggest pay TV provider after satellite TV operator National Satellite Company, working under the Tricolor TV brand, which had over 12.2 million clients as of the end of June.

According to Telecom Daily, Tricolor TV now services 29% of the country’s pay TV users, and Rostelecom’s share is at 23%.

Rostelecom’s spokesman Valery Kostarev said the operator will announce April–June results on August 2 and expects the total number of pay TV subscribers to have exceeded 10 million as of the end of June. The interest to pay TV services was boosted by the ongoing FIFA World Cup with Rostelecom being the event’s official partner, Kostarev said.

Kuskov at Telecom Daily said the country’s pay TV market added only 0.5% in April–June on the quarter and less than 2% on the year. The market expands slowly because already 75% of households are already subscribed to the pay TV service. Besides, a number of people avoiding TV watching are rising: users read news in the Internet and watch online video, he said.

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