Pay TV subs on the rise.(BRAZIL)(subscription base up 7.3%)(Brief Article)

RIO DE JANEIRO Brazil's pay TV subscription base reached 3.78 million at the end of 2004, up 7.3% from the previous year.

It was the sector's best performance since 2000, but pay TV penetration continues to be low in Brazil, which has about 40 million TV homes. The result indicates the industry has recovered from the 2002 financial crisis, when the subs base decreased 2.8%, says Claudia Tornelli, executive manager of research firm PTS, which released the figures.

In 2002, the economic slowdown and the sharp devaluation of the local currency hampered the operators' performance. Since then, the economy and the value of the real against …