BT added 59,000 television customers in the second quarter of 2016 to reach 1.62 million. Careful reading of the results shows that there were only 98,000 EE TV customers when BT acquired EE earlier in the year, mainly for its mobile business, in a deal valued at £12.5 billion.

BT reported a net gain of 59,000 television customers in the second quarter, but a jump of 164,000 in its restated figures for the previous quarter reveals that 98,000 of these were acquired EE TV customers.

BT quarterly subscriber change. Source: informitv Multiscreen Index.

EE TV was launched in October 2014 as “the most advanced television service for the home” in the United Kingdom.

EE never released customer numbers but it seems that in 15 months the service managed to acquire fewer than 100,000 television subscribers, which is an average of less than 600 a day.

A free EE TV smart box, with a list price of £300, was provided free of charge to all EE mobile customers who signed up to an EE Broadband plan. The EE TV service was available with broadband and weekend telephone calls for £9.95 a month, plus line rental of £15.75, with the top speed package at £29.95 a month.

Shortly after the launch, BT announced its plan to acquire EE. It completed the acquisition on 29 January 2016. BT has retained the EE brand and is continuing to market the EE TV service as well as its own BT TV offering, although it has rolled up the customers in its reporting.

www.bt.com
multiscreenindex.com