Advanced Television

9 operators dominate MEA pay-TV

August 1, 2016

Pay-TV subscriptions in the Middle East and Africa region will increase by 67 per cent between 2015 and 2021 – from 32.37 million to 54.09 million.

The top nine pay-TV operators [Multichoice (DStv and GOtv), StarTimes/StarSat, Canal Plus, OSN, beIN, DigiTurk, D-Smart, Yes and HOT], accounted for 70 per cent of these subscribers by end-2015, with this proportion falling to 66 per cent by 2021. So nine companies will continue to control more than two-thirds of the region’s Pay-TV subscribers, according to the Middle East & Africa Pay-TV Operator Forecasts report from Digital TV Research.

Satellite TV platform DStv will continue to be the region’s leading pay-TV operator by subscribers; adding nearly 3 million to its total between 2015 and 2021. Sister company and DTT platform GOtv will add 3.8 million subs. Its rival StarTimes will increase its active subs base by a similar amount (3.7 million) to push it into second place among the pay-TV operators.

Growth in the Middle East and North Africa will be more modest than Sub-Saharan Africa, although beIN will double its subs base between 2015 and 2021.

Subscription and PPV pay-TV revenues from the Middle East and Africa will climb from $7.95 billion to $11.47 billion over the same period. Subscription and VoD revenues for the top nine operators accounted for 81 per cent of the 2015 total, but this proportion falling slightly to 78 per cent by 2021.

DStv will remain the wealthiest operator. DStv will also be the biggest winner; increasing its revenues by more than $1 billion between 2015 and 2021. Canal Plus will follow with an extra $369 million. GOtv’s, beIN’s and StarTimes’ revenues will all at least double over the same period.

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