Digital TV Research: LatAm Pay-TV Market to Remain Stable

According to Digital TV Research, the number of Latin American pay-TV subscribers will remain around 62 million over the next few years, with IPTV as the sector forecast for the most growth.

Weak economic conditions have pushed the total down from 73 million in the peak year of 2017, but there is stability going forward, the firm says.

While the pay-TV subscriber total will hold steady, satellite TV will lose more than 4 million subscribers between 2021 and 2027—from 24.89 million in 2021 to 20.48 million in 2027.

Cable will be flat. A Cable’s switch off will see D Cable increase from 29.64 million to 30.62 million.

IPTV will be the winner by adding more than 5 million subscribers. It is forecast to grow from the 6.8 million reported in 2021 to 12.1 million by 2027.

Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research, explained: “Broadband connections are fast becoming more important than traditional pay TV, especially as the main U.S.-based SVOD platforms now operate across Latin America. Households have more interest in bundles—to the detriment of single-play platforms such as most satellite TV operators.”