Beauty and the Bundle: What price deflation in the triple-play market means for fixed/mobile bundling

The market for triple-play bundling is beginning to slow, raising questions about the growth prospects for major communications groups around the world. Back in 2004, the average subscriber typically took just one fixed product from a TV or communications provider. Today that has risen to 1.6 TV, fixed phone or broadband products. Regional disparities in bundling reveal that certain markets are already close to being maxed out for fixed line services. Western Europe is particularly ahead of the curve, and is already close to two fixed products per subscriber. By contrast, Sub-Saharan Africa remains virtually untapped. But bundling is also a powerful competitive tool – those companies which are most successful at bundling have, on average, greater market share. Our latest report looks at the impact of bundling on income, profitability and competitive standing of fixed entertainment and communications providers and asks: is bundling always a good thing?