subscribe

Fast Growth in PayTV is ‘Mostly Over’ for Eastern Europe

Pay-TV revenues in Eastern Europe will rise 9.9% between 2015 and 2021, to almost $6 billion – despite subscribers climbing by less than 1 million. The report comes from Digital TV Research, which adds that pay-TV revenues rose 27% between 2010 and 2015, indicating that the region’s fast growth is mostly over.

Between 2016 and 2021, only 16,000 new subscribers will sign up to pay-TV services in Eastern Europe, taking the total to just over 80 million. However, as analogue cable ssubscribers fall, digital pay-TV customers will rise – from 25.8 million (20.7% share) in 2010 to 54.6 million (42.8%) in 2015, and 75.7 million (58.9%) in 2021.

Almost all of the revenue growth in the region, then, will come from analogue cable TV subscribers moving to digital platforms. Digital pay-TV revenues will increase by $3 billion between 2010 and 2020, to $5.8 billion. They will rise 32% ($1.4 billion) between 2015 and 2021.

62.3% of homes in Eastern Europe will subscribe to pay-TV in 2021, up from 48% at the end of 2010: a rise of 20 million. However, this represents a small increase from 62% at the end of 2015: less than 1 million.

Eastern Europe Pay-TV Revenues by Platform ($ Millions)
2010 2015 2016 2021
Analogue Cable 1,554 1,069 934 199
Digital Cable 605 1,338 1,478 2,163
IPTV 227 691 816 997
Pay-DTT 32 67 71 91
Satellite TV 1,853 2,269 2,316 2,519
Source: Digital TV Research