Analyst: E European SVoD finally takes off
April 1, 2021
Eastern Europe’s SVoD sector is finally taking off, prompted mainly by launches by global platforms such as Disney+ and HBO Max, according to the Eastern Europe OTT TV & Video Forecasts report from analyst firm Digital TV Research, who forecast 40 million SVoD subscriptions by 2026; up from 15 million at end-2020. From the 25 million additional subscriptions, Russia will generate 10 million and Poland 6 million.
“There will still be plenty of room for growth beyond our forecast period as only 17 per cent of the region’s TV households will subscribe to at least one SVoD platform by 2026,” advises Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV Research.
Netflix will have 12.29 million subscribers by 2026, more than double its 2020 total. Its Russian subscriber base will rocket as a result of its recently-signed partnership with National Media Group. Disney+ will have 5.80 million subscribers by 2026 despite only starting in mid-2021.
WarnerMedia will launch HBO Max in 2H21. Digital TV Research forecasts 1.22 million paying subscribers by 2026, with many more continuing to receive HBO online as part of their pay-TV subscription.