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IPTV surpass satellite TV

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The number of paying IPTV subscribers in the Asia-Pacific region overtook paying satellite TV ones in 2015, according to a new report from Digital TV Research.

Covering 22 countries, the fifth edition of the Digital TV Asia-Pacific Forecasts report states that IPTV growth is far from over with 123.5 million subscribers expected by 2021. China will contribute 78.4 million IPTV subs (or nearly two-thirds of the region’s total) by 2021.

Of the 314 million digital TV homes to be added between 2015 and 2021, 107 million will come from DTT. Conversely, the number of analogue terrestrial homes will fall by 158 million. Digital cable will contribute 113 million additional homes, with analogue cable losing 72 million. Pay satellite TV will supply an extra 30 million, with FTA satellite TV adding 10 million.

Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV Research, explained: “So pay-TV penetration will rise from 61.1% in 2015 to 69.2% in 2021, adding 127 million subs to take the total to 647 million. Even more impressive is that digital pay-TV penetration will climb from 21.2% in 2010 to 44.9% in 2015 on to 68.3% in 2021. Digital pay-TV subscribers will nearly quadruple from 164 million in 2010 to 639 million by 2021.”

He continued: “China will provide 329 million pay-TV households by 2021, with India supplying a further 178 million. However, legitimate pay-TV penetration will be lowest in Thailand (30.2%), Australia (31.7%) and Indonesia (32.6%).”

Despite the economic growth slowdown and devaluation of most currencies against the U.S. dollar, pay-TV revenues in the Asia-Pacific region will reach $40.00 billion in 2021; up from $24.34 billion in 2010 and $31.94 billion in 2015. Digital pay-TV revenues will triple from $14.4 billion in 2010 to $39.61 billion in 2021.

Pay-TV revenues will more than double in five countries (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar and Pakistan) between 2015 and 2021. However, revenues will fall during this period in a further five countries (Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea).