Advanced Television

Cable revenue shrinks, telco IPTV and satellite surge

December 19, 2013

Analysis of worldwide video service revenue in the first half of 2013 (1H13) by market research firm Infonetics Research has revealed that telco IPTV operators continue to enjoy strong growth, largely to the detriment of incumbent cable operators.

“Telco IPTV operators AT&T, China Telecom, and Deutsche Telekom continue to enjoy strong growth in new subscribers and ARPU, showing that competitive providers with differentiated services can successfully steal share away from incumbent cable operators,” notes Jeff Heynen, principal analyst for broadband access and pay TV at Infonetics Research“Whether it’s an improved user interface, multi-screen video, or even DVR services, there are marked differences that have allowed telcos to grow their subscriber bases at a time when others aren’t.”

Other highlights from Infonetics’ latest Pay TV Services and Subscribers report include:

  • Worldwide video service revenue, including cable and satellite pay-TV and telco IPTV, grew again in the first half of 2013 (1H13), to $110 billion, a 2 per cent uptick over the second half of 2012
  • Telco IPTV and satellite revenue continue to rise, thanks to new subscribers and increased ARPU in the critical regions of North America and Western Europe
  • Meanwhile, cable revenue market share fell another per cent in 1H13, primarily due to a slowdown in subscriber growth in the lucrative North American market, where video subscribers are declining at a pace of 1.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent annually
  • DirecTV remains the pay-TV revenue market share leader in 1H13
  • By 2017, Infonetics expects the global pay-TV market to hit $270 billion, a 2012-2017 compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 5 per cent

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