Swisscable continues to cable very successfully
The Swiss continue to rely heavily on cable television. Swisscable, the industry association representing local cable TV companies, has had a successful year.
The Swiss continue to put all their faith in cable television. Swisscable, the industry association of cable TV companies in Switzerland, has had a successful year. As the association announced in a press release on Friday, cable connections increased by 0.75% to 2.9 million in 2007. This means that around 92% of all Swiss television households and 87% of all households are now wired. In a European comparison, this puts Switzerland in the lead, with growth exceeding expectations, commented Hajo Leutenegger, President of Swisscable, in the press release. He cites the SRG's discontinuation of analog broadcasting via antennae in the fall as an explanation. Since the switch to digital terrestrial television (DVB-T), SRG channels can only be received on cable in analog form.
Cable Internet and cable telephony also continue to be growth drivers. Cable Internet grew by almost 8 percent last year: at the end of 2007, around 710,000 customers were using their cable TV connection to surf the Internet. The sector also recorded pleasing growth in cable telephony: at the end of 2007, almost 320,000 households were also using their cable TV connection to make telephone calls (previous year: 280,000). What is striking here is that growth (just under 14%) has slowed considerably compared to the previous year (40%).
The cable industry recorded strong growth of more than 43% in digital TV. At the end of 2007, over 400,000 households were receiving digital television via cable. High-definition television (HDTV), which was widely introduced on cable in 2007, also contributed to this growth.
Cable Internet and cable telephony also continue to be growth drivers. Cable Internet grew by almost 8 percent last year: at the end of 2007, around 710,000 customers were using their cable TV connection to surf the Internet. The sector also recorded pleasing growth in cable telephony: at the end of 2007, almost 320,000 households were also using their cable TV connection to make telephone calls (previous year: 280,000). What is striking here is that growth (just under 14%) has slowed considerably compared to the previous year (40%).
The cable industry recorded strong growth of more than 43% in digital TV. At the end of 2007, over 400,000 households were receiving digital television via cable. High-definition television (HDTV), which was widely introduced on cable in 2007, also contributed to this growth.
