NSR’s 6th Global DTH Market report analyses a rapidly changing industry that is diverging from one with growth centered around North America and Western Europe to one where growth will come from the developing parts of the world.

“While revenues will still be concentrated in established economies,“ said Blaine Curcio, report author and Analyst with NSR, “the major source of new subscriber, and revenue growth, will come from the southern hemisphere – with India, Indonesia, and Sub-Saharan Africa leading the way.” With India already at 1 million gross DTH additions per month, and countries like Indonesia and Nigeria growing exponentially faster than the developed world, the greenest pastures are South of the Equator.

However, the DTH industry’s growth is not limited to subscribers. DTH channels are expected to increase significantly by 2022, with High-Definition (HD) comprising over 1/3 of all new channels; more than doubling in the process. As HD continues to be the new norm for sports and movies, these channels will exceed the current boundaries of developed economies, and growth will be experienced in every region in the world. Beyond HD, a battle is brewing between 3D and Ultra HD (UHD or 4K) channels. By 2022, NSR projects that UHD or 4K will comfortably exceed 3D channels, becoming the new standard for the most premium content.

Bottom Line, NSR’s Global Direct-to-Home (DTH) Markets, 6th Edition expects the DTH and satellite pay-TV industry to remain healthy – with 313 million subscribers and $134.4 Billion in subscription revenues by 2022. Emerging economies south of the equator will fuel growth going forward, as the industry continues to move towards more channels, higher resolutions, and increased requirements for satellite capacity.

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