DTH leads in Moscow

Viewers in Moscow have a clear preference for satellite TV despite the wide availability of cable services.

Quoting the Department of Information Technology (DIT), AKTR andIstochnik report that at the end of the Q2 there were 2.2 million digital TV users in the Russian capital.

Of these, 41% opted for DTH, 31% for cable and 28% for IPTV, with the latter being the fastest growing segment.

The DIT also notes that there is growing interest in HD services, with channels in the format accounting for around 10% of the line up of basic digital TV packages, typically offering 105 channels.

Significantly, the DIT in addition says that the cost of receiving satellite TV services has increased by almost 120% since the beginning of this year.

This compares to only 1.5% for IPTV and 9% for cable.

Growth in the Moscow pay-TV market is expected to slow as viewers turn increasingly to online video and personalised content.