Hungary’s digital TV subscriber base up ‘significantly’ in 2009

A total of 1.141 million Hungarian households were receiving digital TV broadcast signals from one of the country’s 14 leading service providers at the end of 2009, a significant increase on the same time a year earlier, Broadband TV News reports citing data published by the National Communications Authority (NHH). In December alone, more than 23,000 homes signed up to one or other of the main digital TV suppliers, which between them account for 80%-85% of the total domestic market. As at 31 December, UPC’s local unit was the leading digital TV provider by subscribers with a 31.9% market share, down from 32.1% in November. Second spot was claimed by Digi with 23.4% (23.9% in November) and Magyar Telekom’s T-Home took 21.5% (20.8%). Previously, the watchdog estimated that of the country’s roughly 3.8 million homes with a TV, around three million take some form of television subscription.