SkyCable sees 10% growth in subscribers next year
MANILA – The cable unit of ABS-CBN Corp. expects the number of its subscribers to grow by double-digit next year mainly because of its affordable subscription charges and new offerings.
“We expect to sustain our subscriber growth in 2011,” Rodrigo Montinola, SkyCable Inc. vice president for marketing, told reporters at a briefing.
Montinola projected a 10 percent growth in subscribers next year from the five percent increase this year.
The SkyCable executive said 80 percent of its subscribers in Metro Manila have digital boxes.
SkyCable has about 550,000 subscribers nationwide, of which 250,000 are in Metro Manila.
In the next two years, Montinola expects the roll out of its digital boxes to be completed natiowide.
Digibox addresses the problem of cable signal theft through the use of encrypting technology, and offers digital quality signal, including features such as electronic program guides that allow viewers to find out ahead of time programs for the rest of the week.
The technology also provides parental locks for non-child friendly programming and interactive video games.
Besides digitalization, SkyCable will also offer the personal video recorder (PVR) system.
PVR is a device that records TV onto a hard drive in digital formart. Unlike video and DVD recorders, there is no need for tapes or disks.
The device gives subscribers the ability to pause live TV, instantly replay scenes just watched while continuing to record. It is similar to TiVO, the world’s first digital video recorder which has a very large following in the United States.
The SkyCable PVR service is currently on trial and will be commercially available by the first quarter of next year.
At present, SkyCable offers eight HD Channels like Discovery HD World, Histroy HD, National Geographic Channel HD, HBO HD, NBA Premium HD, Star Movies HD, Fox Crime HD and ESPN HD.
Last year, revenues amounted to P3.72 billion, higher than the P2.67 billion in 2008.
“In terms of profits, we expect a double-digit growth this year,” Montinola said.
SkyCable’s net income amounted to P164 million last year from P81 million in 2008.*PNA
