Results of the 1st quarter 2025 of Tele Columbus AG
- Revenue stabilised in the first quarter of 2025 at EUR 104,9 Mio. (+3.6% QoQ)
- Customer growth in the Internet and Telephony segment remains at a high level (+10.6% YoY)
- TV revenues of EUR 28.9 million at the level of the previous quarter
- Normalised EBITDA in the first quarter declines by -18.3% YoY to EUR 39.1 million
- Reported EBITDA in Q1 slightly higher at EUR 32.5m (+1.1% YoY)
- Capital expenditure excluding leasing (capex) in Q1 2025 EUR 35.9 million
(-12.9% YoY) as a result of efficient capital allocation
Berlin, May 28, 2025. Tele Columbus AG (“Tele Columbus”, “the Company” or “the Group”), one of Germany’s leading fiber network operators, today published its results for the first quarter of financial year 2025.
In the first quarter of 2025, Tele Columbus generated revenues of EUR 104.9 million (+3.6% QoQ). The growth rate of the Internet customer base remained at a high level with an increase of 10.6% YoY. More than 80% of new customers in the Internet and telephony segment chose tariffs with bandwidths of 250 Mbit/s or faster. The high increase in revenue in the Internet and Telephony segment (incl. hardware & wholesale) totaling EUR 9.0 million (+18.5% YoY) is a result of the strong growth in new customers in previous quarters combined with continued high demand for fast bandwidths.
The elimination of cable TV fees from ancillary rental costs, which has been legally applicable since 1 July 2024, led to a slight decline in individual user contracts in the TV sector (-6k) compared to the previous quarter – also influenced by a price adjustment in the Internet and telephony sector in February 2025, which at the same time resulted in a slight decline in customers for bundled TV and Internet contracts. The total number of TV households in the first quarter of 2025 decreased by -14k customers and thus remains at around 1.1 million customers in total (-39.5% YoY).
In terms of revenue development, Tele Columbus recorded a decline of EUR -7.4 million in the first quarter compared to the same period of the previous year (-6.6% YoY), but recorded a slight increase compared to the fourth quarter of 2024 (+3.6% QoQ). The increase in revenue in the Internet & Telephony segment (incl. hardware & wholesale) of EUR 9.0 million (+18.5% YoY) was not yet able to fully compensate for the decline in revenue in the TV segment of EUR -15.1 million (-34.3% YoY). Compared to the fourth quarter of 2024 (EUR 29.1 million), TV sales stabilised at EUR 28.9 million.
Normalised EBITDA amounted to EUR 39.1 million in the first quarter, down -18.3% on the same period of the previous year. This was mainly due to a drop in revenue resulting from the elimination of cable TV fees from ancillary rental costs. By contrast, reported EBITDA was stable compared to the previous year and rose slightly from EUR 32.1 million to EUR 32.5 million (+1.1%). In addition to the improved operating performance, this was also due to significantly lower one-off expenses, mainly in connection with ongoing transformation activities.
Tele Columbus invested a total of EUR 35.9 million (excluding leasing) less than in the first quarter of 2024 (-12.9% YoY). Network expansion still accounts for the largest share of investments (37.7%).
The company continues to see high fibre optic expansion potential. In the 199k residential units connected via FTTH, a total of 86k user contracts for Internet & telephony were concluded as of the first quarter of 2025, which corresponds to a penetration rate of 44% (coax: 28%). Product penetration in households connected with fibre optics therefore remains significantly higher than in typical cable households to date.
In a market that continues to be highly competitive, Tele Columbus is observing a high level of competitive intensity, which poses an additional challenge to revenue development and places high demands on agility and efficiency in the wake of rising costs. The Company is responding to the market conditions by consistently implementing its strategic priorities and focusing clearly on operational excellence.
