Soccer boost for ONdigital
411,000 subs signed by pay-TV platform
The surge in uptake was largely driven by UEFA Champions League soccer. In September, when coverage of the season began, ONdigital signed 82,000 subs.
ONdigital is also about to seal a deal to provide a pay-per-view movie service using the capacity of the yet-to-launch SDN digital platform. The service should be available early next year.
A source said -- given that ONdigital has limited capacity because it is terrestrial -- the onus is now on the Hollywood studios to come aboard quickly since there will not be enough room to accommodate them all. He added that Hollywood was eager to counter satcaster British Sky Broadcasting's dominance in PPV.
ONdigital, launched last November and co-owned by ITV network companies Carlton and Granada, last reported 247,000 customers in June.
Rival SkyDigital, BSkyB's year-old platform, is believed to have about 1.5 million subs.
