18% of global TV homes receive FTA satellite
May 31, 2017
According to Dataxis research, 314 million of TV households now receive TV signals via Free-to-Air satellite, which represents 18 per cent of the worldwide TV households. FTA satellite distribution is becoming more and more important and Dataxis forecasts that this ratio will reach 20 per cent in 2021.
The penetration rate for FTA DTH varies from regions, for instance, it is almost inexistent in North America. Moreover, FTA DTH distribution in Latin America is limited to Brazil with 21 per cent of the TV households.
On the other hand, in Europe, FTA DTH distribution depends on the countries: Germany leads with 34 per cent of the TV households, followed by Ukraine with 26 per cent, Ireland with 16 per cent and Italy with 15 per cent.
In the Middle-East (including Turkey), DTH satellite distribution is the most common way to receive TV and 65 per cent of TV households receive TV via FTA DTH. In this region, there is a wide offer of free channels (more than 1000) which are distributed via FTA DTH. Consequently, there is no room for the development of DTT distribution.
According to Dataxis, FTA satellite distribution is important in Asia, with 64 per cent of the TV households in Thailand, followed by Japan with 37 per cent, China with 25 per cent and India amounts to 12 per cent. In China, there is a governmental programme for isolated zones that explains the importance of FTA DTH in the region.