TV and Internet business: UPC loses customers in Switzerland

Liberty Global reported the first quarter of its 2017 financial year on March 31. The parent company of UPC Switzerland measures its success with "revenue generating units" (RGU). In Europe, that figure looks good: Liberty Global gained 244,300 RGUs in the last three months. In Switzerland, however, the development was negative. Here, the company lost 9800 RGUs.

Sales in Switzerland fell by a total of 1.3 percent year-on-year to CHF 333 million. On the other hand, there was an upturn in business customers: UPC Business increased its revenue in Switzerland by 6 percent.

UPC announced the following figures for Switzerland as of March 31:

• 2,251,100 households can use UPC services. 14,300 more than 3 months ago.
• 1,281,400 customers use at least one video, Internet or telephone service from UPC. 3 months ago, the figure was 13,300 more.
• 1,241,200 customers pay for TV services from UPC Switzerland. This compares with 10,500 more customers on December 31, 2016.
• 569,000 customers are basic video subscribers. They do not use additional services such as smart cards. 3 months ago, the figure was 7500 customers higher.
• 672,200 customers are "Enhanced Video Subscribers". 3000 more than 3 months ago. Customers pay for smart cards and decryption of TV channels.
• 744,500 customers pay for Internet services. 5300 less than 3 months ago.
• 517,900 customers pay for telephone services. 6000 more than 3 months ago.
• 85,300 customers pay for mobile telephony. 5000 more than 3 months ago.
• UPC has 2,503,600 RGUs in this country. 9800 less than 3 months ago.

Around 43 percent of all broadband customers in Switzerland are equipped with the latest modem. The 317,000 customers can use it as a Wi-Fi router with download speeds of over 500 Mbit/s. Last year, over 50,000 households in Switzerland and Austria received such access. (Web Week)