Note: The number of cable TV customers acquired by Videotron has been updated based on new information provided by the cableco.
MONTREAL – Videotron grew its cable TV, Internet, telephony and wireless telephone customer bases in the first quarter ended March 31, 2008, the cableco announced Thursday.
Videotron had a total of 1,652,200 cable TV subscribers at March 31, a quarter-over-quarter increase of 14,100 (not 34,600 as previously reported by Videotron), compared with a 10,300 increase (not 29,200) in the same quarter of 2007. The cableco also recorded a net increase of 34,600 subscribers to its illico digital TV service for a total of 802,800 at the end of the first quarter.
The company’s Internet subscriber base grew by 32,300 in the quarter for a total of 965,300. The net gain represents a 3% quarter-over-quarter increase.
During the first quarter, Videotron launched two new Internet access services – Ultimate Speed Internet 30 (supports speeds of 30 megabits per second) and Ultimate Speed Internet 50 (supports speeds of 50 megabits per second). The roll-out started in the Laval area, reaching a potential market of 112,000 households, and will gradually be extended to the rest of Quebec.
Videotron also picked up an additional 55,300 telephony customers for a total of 691,600 at March 31.
Videotron’s wireless telephone service, launched in mid-2006, picked up 5,500 subscribers, bringing the total to 50,600 activated phones at March 31.
Videotron also noted in a media release on Thursday that its parent company Quebecor Media was on Industry Canada’s list of applicants eligible to bid in the Advanced Wireless Services spectrum auction.
“We were very pleased by the record results for 2007, and we are delighted to see the trend holding in 2008,” said Videotron president and CEO Robert Depatie. “I am confident that if we continue to focus all our targets and all our strategies on fully satisfying every customer, we will be very strongly positioned to maintain this exceptional growth, because our 1.6 million existing customers and potential customers alike will see that they are our priority.”
