The operator’s total number of clients fell 1.2 percent in the second quarter of 2009, compared to the previous quarter, to 1.248 million, but the company lost 66,000 clients compared to the second quarter of 2008.
Unlike the first three months of 2009, when the operator had stopped losses on the TV service segment through a high flow of digital television clients, in the quarter ending on 30 June, the number of subscribers for these services is dropping.
However, the annual growth rate on digital cable television is high, as UPC had 179,600 clients this June, up from 52,800 in June 2008. Romtelecom and RCS&RDS, UPC’s main competitors, are registering sustained increases in the number of subscribers to TV services. Thus, 1.4 million cable clients and 1.1 million satellite television users are included in the portfolio of RCS&RDS, while Romtelecom had 724,000 digital television services subscribers on 30 March.
“In spite of the difficult macroeconomic conditions, we continue to grow constantly on the digital television segment, which is an important focus for us. We managed to grow here by over 20 percent, compared to the previous quarter, also due to launching this service in five new locations,” UPC Romania’s Chief Financial Officer, Severina Pascu, said.
