Latino pay-TV soon to be 90% digital
July 11, 2011
By Chris Forrester
A new study states that Latin America’s cable distributors are converting to digital technology at such a pace that by 2016 some 90 per cent of subscribers will be enjoying digital services. Satellite TV is included in the mix but most DTH players are already transmitting digitally.
According to the report “Pay-TV in Latin America 2011-2016”, carried out by Dataxis, Pay-TV services in the seven main Latin American markets will record 67.2 million subscribers in 2016, that is a 48.1 per cent penetration rate of total TV households. By 2016, 90 per cent of Latin American pay-TV subscribers in the region are expected to rely on some digital supply source.
Brazil, Mexico and Colombia will offer the greatest subscriber income perspectives by 2016. In the medium term, these three countries plus Argentina will be the four largest pay-TV markets in terms of client volumes. The four key markets will take care of 87.4 per cent of subscribers by 2016.
Satellite DTH will account for the greatest growth in the region and by 2016 it will have achieved a little more than half of total subscribers. Digital cable will be the second option for the market with approaching 30 per cent of the total; whereas, IPTV will achieve some 7 per cent of subscribers.