Chellomedia reports record Dutch subs

Chellomedia, the content arm of Liberty Global, has reported record subscriber numbers for its Film 1 and Sport 1 channels in the Netherlands.

The channels had a combined subscriber base of 430,000 at February 1, up 18% on 2009. Film 1 On Demand, which enables Film 1 subscribers to watch over 100 films on-demand, has had 3.8 million views since launching in August 2008. The busiest month was December 2009 when 420,000 requests took place.

Jeroen Bergman, managing director at Chello Benelux, said tougher negotiations for broadcasting rights and an increase in subscriber numbers meant Film 1 was now in the black and that Sport 1 was expected to break even soon.

Dutch telco KPN yesterday added Sport 1 to its IPTV service. Subscribers can receive the six Sport 1 channels for €12.50 per month.