Africa Set to Reach Nearly 46 Million Pay-TV Subs

Digital TV Research is forecasting that sub-Saharan Africa will add more than 16 million pay-TV subscribers between 2018 and 2024, bringing its total to 45.63 million.

The Sub-Saharan Africa Pay TV Forecasts report indicates that three groups accounted for 93 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s pay-TV subscribers in 2018 (although this proportion is expected to fall to 89 percent by 2024). Multichoice had 14.34 million subs across satellite TV platform DStv and DTT platform GOtv by end-2018. This total will grow by 5 million to 19.37 million by 2024. France’s Vivendi had 4.01 million subs to its Canal Plus satellite TV platform and Easy TV DTT platform by end-2018, which will climb to 6.21 million by 2024. StarTimes/StarSat will see the most impressive growth: from 7.75 million subs at end-2018 to 14.85 million by 2024, up from 54 percent of the Multichoice total to 77 percent of its total by 2024.

Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “Subscriber numbers will climb by 61 percent over this period, but pay-TV revenues will rise by only 42 percent, indicating lower ARPUs. Pay-TV revenues will reach $7.72 billion by 2024, up by $2.3 billion on 2018.”