Paris and Montreal – The satellite pay-TV industry reached revenues close to $90 billion in 2011, up from $79 billion in 2010, according to research firm Euroconsult. In its new report titled “Satellite TV Platforms, World Survey and Prospects to 2021”, Euroconsult noted that there would be around 350 million households subscribing to satellite pay-TV platforms worldwide by 2021. The report also indicated that more than 2,800 HD channels were distributed by platforms worldwide in 2011, following the launch of close to 600 HD channels during the course of the year.

Pay-TV platforms have been investing in value added services such as HD, 3D, and next-generation set-top boxes (STBs) to develop competitive advantages. Next-gen STBs have already been rolled out in some countries, but they remain limited in the satellite pay-TV industry.

“Next-generation set-top boxes, which include OTT delivery, provide satellite pay-TV platforms a means through which to deliver ‘true’ VoD services,” said Dimitri Buchs, Consultant at Euroconsult. “As a consequence, these boxes allow them to compete more directly with cable and IPTV service providers on that front. Terrestrial service providers have been able to provide ‘true’ VoD services for several years now. Apart from the competitive advantage, the roll-out of next-generation set-top boxes is also likely to limit the move from linear pay-TV subscriptions to TV and video services received via OTT.”