Pay-TV Revenues Continue to Rise

SINGAPORE: The worldwide pay-TV market is expected to generate revenues of $236 billion by the end of 2012, according to ABI Research, while cable faces increasing competition.

“Cable TV services will still dominate the overall pay-TV market, although this segment’s market share is expected to slightly decrease from 2011. Cable TV service revenue will account for 48.6 percent of total pay TV revenue in 2012,” said Jason Blackwell, the practice director for digital home.

“In North America, where cable TV penetration is nearly saturated, cable companies are losing TV subscribers," added Khin Sandi Lynn, research analyst for broadband. "However, the continuous growth of the cable TV market in other regions will drive global cable TV revenue to increase in the coming years. In the emerging markets, cable TV will be a better choice for consumers due to its relatively low pricing."

Cable-TV operators will continue to face competition from IPTV and OTT services. Though they are now finding different ways to improve customer growth. Multiscreen services are one of the most recent innovations in the pay-TV market. A number of international pay-TV operators of different platforms have introduced these services, including France’s Orange, Belgium’s B.net and BSkyB in the U.K.