DTT remains top in France, CSA stats show

Digital-terrestrial TV remained the primary mode of reception of television for French households at the end of the fourth quarter, according to the latest survey from media regulator the CSA.

Some 57.9% receiving a DTT signal, though this was down from 59.7% in June 2013. Satellite reception was stable at 25%, while cable fell by half a point to 8.4%.

Meanwhile, more than two in five French households – 40.7% – received TV via high speed fibre connections by the end of last year.

However, growth in IPTV has begun to level off, increasingly by only 0.8% in the previous six months.

About three homes in 10 had more than one form of TV reception, with only one in three only receiving DTT. About one in five only received IPTV while 14.1% received a combination of IPTV and DTT.

About 82.8% of French homes had a TV capable of playing HD images, while 39.5% were equipped with HD set-tops and 77.2% were equipped to receive HD via DTT.

In terms of quality, French viewers reported that images more frequently froze on IPTV services, while interruptions to reception were more frequent on DTT.

The number of households with smart TVs connected to the net in France dropped slightly in the course of the six months to December 2013, from 50.4% to 48.7%. However, the number of households with TVs connected via games consoles rose from 18.9% to 20.3%. Overall, the number of households with TVs directly or indirectly connectable to the net rose from 59% to 61.1%.