IPTV connections surged by 10% in 2024, MCA figures show

Internet-based television is growing steadily while fixed telephony and postal volumes recorded further declines, according to figures published by the Malta Communications Authority (MCA).

The number of pay-tv subscriptions rose by 2.4% year-on-year in 2024, to reach 194,431, driven primarily by a 10.4% surge in IPTV connections.

The shift from legacy cable services, which fell by 4%, highlights the increasing reliance on improved broadband infrastructure to deliver high-quality television content.

Meanwhile, fixed-line telephony continued its decline, with subscriptions dropping 1.8% compared to 2023. Both post-paid and pre-paid plans saw a reduction, and the number of ported fixed-line numbers plummeted by 31.4%.

Although there was a slight 2.3% increase in enhanced fixed telephony services—mainly aimed at businesses—this segment still accounted for only 1.8% of total fixed-line subscriptions.

Fixed-line call volumes also declined, underlining the continued shift toward mobile and internet-based communication. Nevertheless, average revenue per user (ARPU) for fixed telephony rose slightly from €97.55 in 2023 to €98.44 in 2024.

In the postal sector, a total of 26.3 million mail items were delivered in 2024, marking a 3.8% drop in volume. Items sent under the universal service obligation fell across all categories: single-piece letter mail saw the steepest decline at 15.6%, followed by bulk mail (-4.9%), registered mail (-3.2%) and parcel mail (-2.2%).

However, inbound cross-border mail outside the scope of the universal service posted significant growth, rising by 30.7%. This was largely attributed to an increase in e-commerce-related parcel deliveries.

Fixed broadband subscriptions rose by 1.8% to reach 240,162, with Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) subscriptions surging by 41.5% as major operators continued migrating customers from copper-based infrastructure. GO led the FTTH market with a 91.1% share and is on track to achieve full fibre coverage by the end of 2025.

The proportion of fixed broadband users with gigabit connectivity jumped from 14.2% to 20% during 2024, mirroring growing demand for faster internet.

Mobile telephony remained the most widely used service, with subscriptions up by 2.3% to 766,620. Notably, post-paid plans overtook pre-paid subscriptions for the first time, making up 53.4% of the mobile market. This shift was accompanied by a 17% increase in mobile data consumption, reaching over 138 billion MB for the year.