ASIA NOW comprises over half of the world’s pay TV subscribers, and according to In-Stat, this trend will continue for at least the next four years.
In its report 4Q09 PayTV Subscribers Summary, the market research firm says that while IPTV grew faster than cable and satellite in the fourth quarter of 2009, consistent growth is expected for all pay TV platforms over the next five years. It estimates that China alone will encompass 26.3% of the total, followed by the rest of Asia Pacific at 22.3%, North America at 15.3% and Western Europe at 15.6%.
“By 2012, there will be nearly ¾ billion pay TV subscribers worldwide,” said In-Stat analyst Norm Bogen, in a press release. “Asia will continue to represent over 50% of pay TV subscribers through 2014 when we expect total subscribers to reach 855 million.”
Other research by In-Stat found the following:
– IPTV subscribers increased 9.1% over the previous quarter and 46.1% over the previous year, reaching 33.3 million subscribers in Q4 2009;
– Eastern Europe and Western Europe combined accounted for 49% of IPTV subscribers in 2009;
– Worldwide cable subscribers grew 4.4% in 2009;
– Worldwide satellite subscribers will reach a quarter billion by 2014;
– In 2010, Asia Pacific will overtake North America as the largest satellite market;
– Asia Pacific and Latin America/Caribbean regions show the greatest growth rate in satellite subscribers from 2009–2014.
