Comcast Remains World’s Top Pay-TV Platform

CHARLOTTESVILLE: Comcast Cable remains the number one pay-TV platform in the world with 22 million customers at end 2012, according to an SNL Kagan report, followed closely by China’s Jiangsu Broadcasting with 20.9 million and then DIRECTV with 20.1 million.

According to SNL Kagan, at the end of 2012 there were 106 pay-TV platforms across the globe that had at least 2 million video customers or 1 million broadband subscribers. Almost half of those are located in China (27), India (12) and the U.S. (11). There were five each in France, Germany, South Korea, Brazil and Mexico.

In Asia, of the top ten platforms by subscriber number, six were in China and four in India (led by Dish TV with 14.7 million customers). In Latin America, Brazil’s Net Serviços topped the list with 5.4 million subs, followed by Sky Brasil (5 million) and Sky Mexico (4.8 million). Others in the ranking of Latin America’s biggest platforms are Argentina’s Cablevision and Brazil’s Claro TV.

In Western Europe, BSkyB dominates with 9.6 million subs, followed by Germany’s Kabel Deutschland with 8.1 million and then Unitymedia/Kabel BW with 6.7 million. Rounding out the top five are France Telecom and Sky Italia.

In Eastern Europe, the largest platform is Russia’s Tricolor with 8.8 million subs, followed by Rostelecom with 6.6 million. In a distant third in the rankings was Polsat with 3.6 million.

DTH and IPTV operators are showing the fastest growth rates, according SNL Kagan. Looking at net video additions in 2012, the fastest-growing platform was China Telecom—the IPTV service added 7.6 million customers last year. In Latin America, DTH platforms Sky Brasil and Sky Mexico each added more than 1 million customers in 2012. In North America, telco AT&T outpaced other platforms with its 745,000 ads, followed by Verizon’s 553,000. And in Europe, France Telecom added 1.6 million subs.