At the end of the first half of 2015, there were 6.8 million subscribers to audio-visual programme retransmission services provided on commercial basis in Romania, standing for a yearly growth of 4.5%. Therefore, the household penetration rate of audio-visual programme retransmission services exceeded the milestone of 91%, according to the data reported by the providers to ANCOM.

65% of all the subscribers to retransmission services received TV programmes by means of cable networks, up to 4.4 million (+5.2% compared to 30.06.2014), while 34%, meaning 2.3 million subscribers (+3.1% compared to 30.06.2014) received TV programmes via DTH satellite networks. 70 thousand subscribers (+9.8% compared to 30.06.2014), meaning only 1% of all the subscribers, received these programmes through IP technology.

According to the place of residence, at mid-2015, 61% of all the subscribers lived in urban areas, while 39% lived in rural area. Most of the subscribers from the urban area (81%) received TV programmes by means of cable networks, 17% via DTH satellite networks, whereas 2% of them received these programmes through IP technology. In rural areas, most of the subscribers, i.e. 60%, received TV programmes by means of DTH satellite networks, 40% by means of cable networks, while the percentage of IPTV subscribers remained insignificant (0.1%).

As regards the reception format of TV programmes, the number of subscribers to programme retransmission in digital format keeps growing, up to 4.2 million out of the total number of subscribers, i.e. 6.8 million, registering an annual growth of 7%. According to the support used, approximately 55% received TV programmes in digital format via DTH satellite networks, while 43% received such programmes by means of cable networks and 2% - through the IP technology (IPTV).

Out of the 4.4 million subscribers to retransmission services provided over cable networks, 1.8 million benefitted from digital services (by 13% more compared to 30.06.2014), the penetration rate of such services on household level reaching thus 24%.

The integrated statistical data report on the Romanian electronic communications market in the first half of 2015 was drawn up by ANCOM based on the data reported by the active providers of electronic communications services, with commercial activity between 1 January and 30 June 2015, and is available for consultation, in Romanian, here.