Global Pay-TV Subs Forecast to Hit 1.09 Billion

Digital TV Research has forecast an additional 134 million pay-TV subscribers being added globally between 2016 and 2022 to take the total to 1.09 billion.

Based on forecasts for 138 countries, the number of pay-TV subscribers will pass the 1 billion mark in early 2018. Excluding analog cable TV, the Global Pay TV Subscriber Forecasts report concludes that digital pay-TV growth is “really impressive”—surging from 380 million subscribers in 2010 onto 852 million at end-2016 and 1.09 billion by 2022.

China will continue to supply about a third of the world’s pay-TV subscribers. India will bring in another 16 percent of the total by 2022. Combined, China and India will provide nearly half the world’s pay-TV subs.

Pay-TV subscriber counts are expected to double in 26 countries between 2016 and 2022. Pay-TV subscriber numbers will decrease in a further 18 countries.

Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “Doom mongers in the U.S. have been predicting the demise of pay TV for some time. Although the U.S. is losing pay-TV subs, there is still a lot of life left in the sector. Furthermore, they are ignoring the rest of the world. The Asia Pacific will add 92 million subs between 2016 and 2022—and Sub-Saharan Africa will double its total.”

He added: “We believe that the worst of the losses in now over for North America, with ‘only’ 5 million fewer subscribers forecast between 2016 and 2022.”