Research |
Forecast : Euro fibre 202m homes passed in 2026
The latest FTTH Forecasts for
2020 and 2026 have been
revealed at the FTTH virtual
Conference 2020 . These
numbers were reviewed after
the Covid-19 initial wave during
2020 .
The market forecasts cover
39 countries and provide
an individual analysis for 15
countries .
Estimates show a massive
surge to around 202m homes
passed for FTTH / B ( Fibre to
the Home / Building ) in 2026 in
EU27 + UK compared to 26.2m
in 2012 . Some countries are
expected to experience an
outstanding growth in the
number of homes passed in
2026 compared to 2019 such
as Germany (+ 730 %), United
Kingdom (+ 548 %) and Italy
(+ 218 %).
Looking at the ranking of
countries , while Russia is likely
to continue leading the charge
in terms of FTTH / B homes
passed , it is anticipated that
Germany will join the second
spot in the ranking in 2026 .
According to the forecasts ,
the number of subscribers
would increase further to
around 148m in 2026 for
EU27 + UK and approximately
208m for EU38 + UK and the
FTTH / B take-up rate would
reach 73,3 % in 2026 showing a
clear upward trend compared to
a recorded 23,4 % in 2012 .
Covid-19 can partially
explain this massive growth
as it led to more data traffic
and new broadband demands
with people staying at home ,
which in turn increased the
demand for fibre . But it is to be
considered as an accelerator
which amplified pre-existing
trends .
However other factors also
positively affect FTTH adoption
such as :
• copper switch-off plans ;
• an increase in FTTH
network sharing agreements
and more appetite for singlebuild
deployments ;
• strong commitments
of government and local
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authorities to FTTH ;
• 5G deployment
announcements which entail
more fibre deployments .
Finally , while FTTH / B
deployments are intensifying
across Europe , the Council says
it is worth noting that a new
digital divide for teleworking
performance was revealed by
the Covid-19 crisis . Beyond its
impact on public policies , it is
now clear that Covid-19 has
changed public perception of
the importance of broadband
and their willingness to accept
premium for fibre . This new
trend is one of the key drivers
for the very high estimates
for FTTH / B take up however ,
additional measures by policymakers
aimed at increasing
take-up are still crucial
for European citizens and
businesses to benefit from the
potential of full fibre .
Report : Record investment in UK drama
Increases in both cocommissions
between
traditional broadcasters
and SVoDs , and in sole
commissions , drove investment
in British TV drama to a
record £ 2.6 billion (€ 2.85bn )
last year , according to a new
report commissioned by COBA ,
the industry association for
commercial broadcasters and
on-demand services .
Fuelling the growth , cocommissions
surged by 17 %,
from 30 in 2018 to 35 in 2019 .
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Sole commissions also increased across the sector , with PSBs , pay-TV and SVoD streamers all upping activity . The result drove total investment in high end TV shows from all parties to increase by 19 %.
Co-commissions , however , were by far the single most important category of production , with BBC sole commissions coming next at 26 . The report stated that : “ Co-commissioning is more important for high end TV drama productions than any single broadcaster or platform .”
The report , from industry analyst Ben Keen , defines co-commissions as shows with significant third-party involvement at production stage , noting that third party investment in dramas made by Public Service Broadcasters is now greater than the direct spending by those PSB broadcasters themselves . PSB drama production totalled £ 664m , of which 56 % came from third parties .
Increase in spend per hour on shows also rose sharply , up nearly 60 % year on year . Yet , with their production budgets boosted by third-party spending increasing , PSBs themselves actually reduced their direct spend per hour by £ 45,000 year on year , while increasing the number of hours of drama they were able to broadcast compared to 2018 .
“ These impressive figures demonstrate the strength and
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variety of UK drama production ,”
notes John Whittingdale ,
minister for media and data .
“ With continued government
support through the high-end
TV tax relief and the £ 500
million film and TV production
restart scheme , I ’ m confident
we ’ ll see its continued success .”
‘ This is a golden age for UK
drama , as this report shows ,”
declared Adam Minns , executive
director of COBA . “ What comes
through loud and clear is how
the UK benefits from a mixed
ecology of different players ,
PSB and non PSB . The PSBs
have successfully leveraged
their positions at the heart of
the sector to capitalise on the
opportunities created by other
players .”
Study : Poor Net speeds contributing to UK ‘ digital divide ’
With the UK still beset by
lockdowns , mobile network
benchmarking firm Global
Wireless Solutions ( GWS ) has
released the results of its
latest major study into real-life
consumer experiences of home
Internet connections , which
uncovers evidence of a stark
‘ digital divide ’ in the UK .
As more people come to
rely on video for working and
communicating with family ,
friends and colleagues , nearly
a third ( 30 %) are suffering
from inadequate throughputs
– download speeds lower than
2 Mbps or upload speeds lower
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