Tele Columbus, a German cable operator, has reported a further decrease in its TV customer base during the third quarter of 2025. This underscores the ongoing effects of the cable fee reform, which was implemented over a year ago. While the company experienced growth in its broadband business, dwindling TV subscriber numbers continued to impact revenues and operating earnings.
The company concluded Q3 2025 with 1.06 million TV households, marking a 4.9% decrease year-on-year. This latest decline follows a more substantial correction in 2024. "The TV market remains challenging as the shift from wholesale payment models to direct customer relationships continues to reshape the German cable TV landscape," says Tele Columbus.
In Q3 2024, following the regulatory change, the company's TV base had plummeted by 40.4% year-on-year to 1.1 million households. One year later, the figure has slightly decreased to 1.06 million, suggesting that the most intense period of migration is over. However, the customer base continues to erode as individual contracts do not fully compensate for the lost bulk agreements.
Broadband remains the company's strongest area of performance. Tele Columbus increased its internet customer base in Q3 2025 to 730,000 subscribers, a 7.3% increase year-on-year. Revenue in the internet and telephony segment rose 10.6% to €59.2 million in the quarter, supported by demand for faster connections. Approximately half of all new customers opted for speeds of 500Mbps or higher.
Group revenue for the first nine months of 2025 reached €317.7 million, a 2.2% decrease compared to the same period in 2024. The growth in broadband revenue only partially offset the decrease in TV income. Normalised EBITDA fell 5.4% to €133.9 million, still reflecting the tail-end effects of the bulk TV migration. Reported EBITDA, however, improved 1.9% to €107.5 million, as restructuring-related one-off expenses were lower than in 2024.
These figures illustrate an ongoing transition: while broadband is expanding steadily, TV revenues continue to decline, although at a slower rate than the dramatic decrease observed in 2024.