Fiber-led broadband growth meets a tougher pay TV reality in Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe’s market is being pulled in two directions at once. On the connectivity side, fixed broadband is still expanding—driven above all by rapid fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) deployment, rising household penetration, and intensifying competition among big regional groups and strong local challengers. On the video side, traditional pay TV is moving deeper into structural decline, with subscriber losses spreading to more countries as streaming becomes the default for many households—while IPTV grows largely because fiber is getting better and more widespread.

Fixed broadband penetration across Eastern Europe is described as robust, reaching an average of 65.8% in 2025, with forecasts pointing to continued growth through 2031. Eight markets have already passed 80% household penetration by the end of 2025, with Slovakia and Bulgaria exceed 90% adoption. The regional average is projected to climb to 73.5% by 2031.

The biggest technological story is that FTTP has overtaken DSL as the leading fixed broadband technology across the region. In Romania fiber accounts for 86.6% of fixed broadband households in 2025, reflecting one of the most advanced fiber structures in the region. Russia had 28.1 million homes subscribe to fiber services by end 2025, making it a major contributor to regional fiber scale. The forward view reinforces fiber’s dominance by 2031, FTTP is projected to represent 76.6% of all fixed broadband subscriptions across Eastern Europe.

Even with fiber on top, Eastern Europe isn’t uniform. Legacy platforms remain important in specific pockets. Cable broadband still matters in places like Hungary and Serbia, where it represents over 30% of fixed broadband subscriptions—showing that upgraded cable networks can remain competitive, at least in the medium term. DSL is still significant in Croatia, accounting for over 45% of fixed broadband subscriptions—an indicator that copper hasn’t been fully replaced everywhere and that migration paths will differ by market. Fixed-wireless access (FWA) is prominent where fiber is harder to deploy, especially in Czechia, Slovakia and Estonia, and the region is exploring 5G FWA as a way to bring high-speed access to underserved areas. Satellite broadband remains niche, mainly for remote or specialized use cases. Further fiber proliferation is the destination, but the route to fiber leadership differs—depending on legacy infrastructure, density, and the balance between public support and private capital.

The pay TV market in Eastern Europe is experiencing a notable shift. Initially, subscriber losses were confined to a few saturated markets, but by 2025, eight markets reported declines, indicating a broader regional stagnation. The decline in traditional pay TV subscriptions is closely linked to the rise of streaming services: in Poland, streaming subscriptions rose to 11.6 million, exceeding traditional multichannel subscriptions. As a result, pay TV operators are shifting their strategies from acquiring new subscribers to focusing on enhancing service quality and increasing average revenue per user (ARPU). This includes offering premium content and bundling pay TV with broadband and mobile services to retain customers.

The outlook for pay TV through 2031 indicates a significant shift in platform dynamics. IPTV is expected to see substantial growth, adding 8 million subscribers and reaching 37.9 million by 2031, largely driven by the rollout of fiber-optic networks that enhance service reliability and features. In contrast, cable subscriptions are projected to decline by 2.7%, while satellite services may see a modest contraction. However, cable will remain the most widely used multichannel platform due to its larger installed base. Pay DTT is expected to grow significantly, reflecting the increasing appeal of over-the-air bundles.

Overall, broadband penetration is anticipated to rise from approximately 66% to 74% of households by 2031. The fiber rollout helps operators defend pay TV economics—not by stopping cord-cutting outright, but by enabling better IPTV products and stronger bundles where broadband is the primary relationship.