African OTT Revenues to Reach $1 Billion

OTT revenues in sub-Saharan Africa will rise from $223 million last year to more than $1 billion by 2024, according to Digital TV Research.

About 40 percent of those revenues will come from South Africa, followed by Nigeria with 22 percent. The Digital TV Research study covers 35 countries in the region; only 15 will generate OTT revenues of more than $10 million by 2024. SVOD is the dominant model, projected to bring in revenues of $782 million by 2024 from 10.2 million subscribers, up from 3 million at the end of 2018. South Africa will be in the lead with 3.5 million subs, followed by Nigeria’s 2.6 million, together accounting for 59 percent of the region’s SVOD base.

Netflix is the biggest platform at present, with 45 percent of SVOD subs in the region. By 2024 this will slip to 39 percent.

Simon Murray, the principal analyst at Digital TV Research, noted, “Market dynamics have shifted over the last year. Despite its relatively high prices, Netflix has consolidated its market leadership. There have been many fewer platform launches, especially on a country level. Furthermore, several multinational players appear to have reined in their ambitions.”