Despite slight erosion in markets like the U.S., pay TV penetration across 138 countries will expand to 886 million households, or 57.1 percent of all homes, by the end of 2014, a jump from 715 million and 49.1 percent in 2010.
So concludes a new report from Digitial TV Research, which tallies pay TV infiltration as still being as low as 19 percent in the Middle East and North Africa, but as high as 85 percent in North America. Pay TV market share will exceed 70 percent of households in 32 countries by year's end, but will remain below 30 percent in 55 countries, the latest Digital TV World Household Databook predicts.
Pay TV penetration has declined in 11 countries, including the U.S., over the last four years. China, however, will add 63 million pay TV subscribers from 2010 – 2014, while Brazil's base will have grown by 10 million over that span.
Meanwhile, the number of homes worldwide equipped with digital television will exceed 1 billion by the end of 2014, a jump of 78 percent in just four years, according to the research firm.
The report says that the driver of this growth remains digital cable, which just overtook analog cable and is expected to have 374 million subscribers across 138 countries by the end of the year.
The report counts 13 countries that will soon have 100 percent digital TV penetration and 25 that will be over 90 percent covered by year's end. Penetration will still be lower than 50 percent at that point in 45 countries, with El Salvador having the lowest marker at 13 percent.
The top countries in terms of aggregate digital TV homes include China (289.3 million), the U.S. (114.6 million) and India (96.4 million).
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(Source: Digital TV Research) |
For more:
- read this press release
- read this Broadband TV News story
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