Global Pay-TV Subs to Hit 1 Billion by 2018

LONDON: According to the Digital TV World Household Forecast report, global pay-TV households will reach nearly 1 billion by 2018, with the Asia-Pacific region contributing to more than half of that total.

The pay-TV household base was at 772 million in 2012 and is set to come in at 814 million for 2013. Pay-TV penetration reached 53.6 percent of TV households by end of 2012, and is expected to rise to 55.7 percent by the end of 2013 and up to 63.1 percent by 2018. Penetration at the end of 2018 will range from 86 percent in North America to 29 percent in the Middle East and Africa. Pay-TV penetration is forecast to remain the highest in the Netherlands, at 99.5 percent, by end-2018.

Digital TV Research is predicting that the Asia-Pacific region will contribute 59 percent (587 million homes) of the global total by 2018. China is expected to have the most pay-TV subs, at 313 million by end-2018. India will follow with 158 million, then the U.S. with 107 million. These three countries will account for 58 percent of the global pay-TV households by 2018.

The number of digital TV homes is set to increase by 667 million between 2012 and 2018, to reach 1.453 million. Global digital penetration of TV households will grow from 54.7 percent at the end of 2012 to 62.5 percent by the end of this year and on to 92 percent by 2018.