Forecast for MENA Pay-TV Revenue Downgraded

LONDON: Pay-TV revenues in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are forecast to reach $4 billion in 2021, according to Digital TV Research, which has downgraded its expectations for the region.

The previous edition of the Middle East and North Africa Pay TV Forecasts report predicted $5 billion in revenue for 2021. Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research, explained: “Along with long-running conflicts and slower economic growth, several countries (notably Turkey and Egypt) have suffered substantial currency devaluation. OTT is creating competition to traditional pay-TV operators, especially in Israel. It’s not all bad news, with Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE enjoying good growth.”

Turkish pay-TV revenue forecasts for 2021 are down $361 million on the last edition, with Israel falling by $220 million, the UAE by $174 million and Saudi Arabia by $149 million—these four countries will account for 90 percent of the revenue shortfall between the two editions.

Legitimate pay-TV revenues will reach $4.12 billion by 2022, up by 17 percent from $3.52 billion in 2016. Five countries will contribute more than three-quarters of the region’s pay-TV revenues in 2022. The number of pay-TV homes will increase by nearly 5 million between 2015 and 2022 to 19.52 million. About 18.7 percent of TV households paid for TV signals by end-2016, which will climb to 22.2 percent by 2022.