SINGAPORE – Worldwide pay-TV subscribers totaled 688 million at the end of the second quarter of 2010, according to a new study by ABI Research. Subscriber growth is fastest for IPTV platforms, while cable and satellite platforms have the most stable growth rate, says Jason Blackwell, practice director for the digital home at ABI Research. Overall pay-TV subscriptions are expected to reach 854.5 million in 2015, with a 5.7 percent CAGR from 2010 to 2015.
Cable platforms represent approximately 70 percent of the overall pay-TV market. According to research associate Khin Sandi Lynn, “The cable-TV market is declining in some countries, especially in Western Europe and North America. One reason is market saturation in these countries. Furthermore, there is aggressive competition from IPTV operators. Cable operators are coming under pressure to maintain subscriber and ARPU growth. Some operators have cut subscription prices in order to compete with IPTV operators.â€
The number of IPTV subscribers worldwide continued to grow in 2Q 2010. Western Europe and Asia-Pacific are home to the majority of IPTV subscribers, but the IPTV growth rate in some European countries is expected to slow as the market starts to mature. However, countries in Asia-Pacific, such as China, are expected to grow their IPTV subscriber bases. ABI Research forecasts that IPTV’s share of the overall pay-TV market will increase from 6 percent in 2010 to 11 percent in 2015.
