Subscribers during the quarter remained stable at 2.39 million, but down on the 2.53 million reported at end-2007. Wholesale customers fell by 99,000 to 691,000. Premiere said that it expected subscriber growth would be broadly flat in the first half of 2009.
Chief executive Mark Williams said that it had been “a very difficult year, during which we suffered a large financial loss and a liquidity crisis which threatened the company’s existence. The most critical step now is the approval of the required capital increase by shareholders”. A capital increase will see Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation take its stake over 30 per cent
Premiere also said that from next season it would make its coverage of German football’s Bundesliga available to non-subscribers on a pay-per-view basis over the internet. The internet rights were part of the four-year, €1 billion deal agreed by Premiere with the Bundesliga last November.
Premiere already transmits games from the Champions League, UEFA Cup and Premier League live on a similar scheme, with matches costing between €5 and €10 each.