Forget 4K, HD is in only 44% of the global pay-TV market, study says

As operators in the U.S. prepare to hoist the next big video resolution standard, 4K/Ultra HD, new data from ABI Research suggests that less than half of global pay-TV customers have good ol'-fashioned high-definition displays in their homes.

The study found that global HD penetration is expected only to reach about 60 percent by 2020.

A study released by Strategy Analytics earlier in March suggested that 50 percent of U.S. homes will have 4K display capability by 2020.

ABI found that the global pay-TV market expanded another 4 percent in 2014 to 923.5 million subscribers and producing $257 billion in revenue. The research company predicts the market will reach 1.1 billion customers by 2020, generating $313 billion in revenue with its compound annual growth rate slowing to 2.7 percent

ABI research analyst Khin Sandi Lynn says deployment of innovations like 4K are important tools for pay-TV operators in a market that will grow increasingly competitive.

"Quality of content, innovations and service pricing are among the important factors for pay-TV operators to maintain customer base," she said.

For more:
- read this ABI Research press release

Related links:
4K/Ultra HD displays will be in nearly half of U.S. living rooms by 2020, research firm says
HDTV penetration reaches 81% of U.S. homes
Report: DirecTV plan to go all-HD ahead of schedule