MUMBAI: The global TV subscriptions have slowed down. Around 100 top-ranking television services in the informitv Multiscreen Index, as compared to the 2016 corresponding period increase of 1.68 per cent (6.90 million subscribers), gained 3.46 million subs amongst them in the first quarter of 2017, an increase of 0.79 per cent.

Modest gains were seen across the board, with Europe, Middle East and Africa up by 0.21 million, the Americas up by 0.85 million, and Asia Pacific gaining 2.39 million, Advanced Television reported. Only 46 in the index of 100 services reported net subs hike. Ten with the biggest gains added 3.58 million amongst them.

Led by SITI, which added 800,000 subs, leading operators in India gained at least 1.67 million amongst them.

Some of the greatest benefits were as a result of reporting changes made by Sky Brasil and AT&T for PanAmericana. Organic quarterly increases were 1.13 million lower.

US's top 10 services reported total losses of 559,000 subscribers, with only Comcast gaining majorly. For its U-verse service, AT&T suffered the biggest loss, with 233,000 fewer subs.

In the European region, Canal+ lost 109,000 subs in France, while Sky added 73,000 in Germany and 40,000 in Ireland and the UK.

DIRECTV subsidiary did not report any change and also did not report numbers for its DIRECTV NOW online.

Multiscreen Index editor William Cooper says the figures for the first quarter showed the lowest rate of global subs growth they observed. There was still growth in the Asia Pacific region, he said, but at a lower than previous rate.

Analyst Sue Farrell observed that 95 per cent of homes subscribing to Multiscreen services had access to services other than the traditional television.