Mexico DTH will pass cable
July 21, 2011
By Chris Forrester
DTH subscriptions will continue to grow, achieving 71 percent of the pay-TV market by 2016, says a report from Dataxis. By the end of this year DTH will edge past cable subscriptions (51 per cent versus cable’s 49 per cent), following a growing trend towards DTH subscription.
At present, in Mexico, DTH is operated by Sky (Televisa Group and DirecTV) and Dish (MVS and EchoStar), which hold a commercial agreement with Telmex. According to information provided to El Universal newspaper by such companies, both systems record about 5m users, a figure similar to that of cable’s, which is expected to close 2011 with the 46 per cent of total subscribers. In its recent second quarter report, Sky disclosed 3.58m users.
Dataxis estimates that, by 2016, Mexican Pay-TV penetration will reach 68.3 percent of households. “Such expectations are grounded in the high growth rates recorded in the market as a result of the business approach widening over sectors which were excluded until 2009,” stated Carlos Blanco, Research Unit Director of Dataxis.
The Mexican market is expected to add new DTH system players soon, such as Axtel and Movistar (Telefónica). Movistar might launch its service in the short run so as to empower its mobile broadband access proposal which has been re-launched recently.