ABI Research: Global Pay-TV Market Sees Growth

SINGAPORE: The global pay-TV market added 23 million new subscribers in the first two quarters of 2013, with growth in telco and satellite TV yet cable and terrestrial pay-TV services remaining relatively flat.

The pay-TV market is expected to continue to grow in all regions in 2013, with the Asia Pacific being the main contributor of subscriber net additions. North American pay-TV is growing at its slowest rate, since its saturation with more than 80-percent penetration. The growth of the North American pay-TV market will mainly be led by the region's telco TV market.

“ABI Research expects that worldwide pay-TV subscribers will reach 895 million by the end of 2013, to generate service revenue of $245 billion,” commented Jake Saunders, ABI Research's VP and practice director of core forecasting.

“North American telco TV operators, such as AT&T and Verizon, have demonstrated strong subscriber additions in the first half of 2013. ABI Research forecasts that more than 1.5 million telco TV subscribers will be added in North America in 2013 to reach 11.9 million subscribers. The region will generate service revenue of $10 billion from telco TV service in 2013,” added Khin Sandi Lynn, industry analyst.

Globally, telco TV service revenue market share will increase more than one percentage point to capture 14-percent market share. However, cable TV service revenue market share will decrease to 47 percent in 2013 from 48 percent the year prior.