Report: Global IPTV Subs to Double, AsiaPac to Lead

LONDON: The number of homes paying for IPTV is set to surge to 191 million by the end of 2020, with the Asia Pacific accounting for 61 percent of the global subscribers, according to Digital TV Research.

The forecast of 191 million subs is more than double the 90 million recorded at end-2013; at the end of 2010 that figure was just 36 million. The Global IPTV Forecasts report expects IPTV penetration to exceed 11 percent of TV homes by end-2020, up from 5.9 percent in 2013 and 2.5 percent in 2010. Revenue from IPTV is set to reach $26.2 billion by 2020, after amassing $16 billion in 2013 and $8.3 billion in 2010. The Asia Pacific’s share of the global total will increase from 17 percent in 2010 to 30 percent by 2020, but North America will remain the revenue leader. From the $10.2 billion additional revenues to be created between 2013 and 2020, the U.S. will provide $2.5 billion. The Asia-Pacific region will contribute an extra $3.9 billion, led by China ($1.4 billion more) and Japan ($0.9 billion).

With the 101 million subs to be added between 2013 and 2020, 69 million are expected to be in the Asia-Pacific region, accounting for 68 percent of the new subscribers. The Asia Pacific accounted for 38 percent of global pay IPTV subs in 2010, and will reach 61 percent in 2020. China will account for 40 percent of the global total in 2020, supplying 77 million subs. The U.S. will follow at a distant second with 16 million subs, then France (8.7 million), Japan (7.2 million) and Russia (7.1 million).