Forecast: MENA pay-TV revenues to fall by $1.5bn
January 17, 2022
Pay-TV revenues for 20 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region will fall by 38 per cent between peak year 2016 ($3.84 billion [€3.35bn]) and 2027 ($2.39 billion), according to the Middle East and North Africa Pay TV Forecasts report from analyst firm Digital TV Research.
“Pay-TV has never had an easy ride the MENA region,” advises Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV Research. “First was the battle with widespread piracy. Next the Saudi government and others banned beIN for four years. Traditional pay-TV subscribers are now converting to SVoD platforms,” he adds.
Pay-TV revenues for the 13 Arabic-speaking countries will be $915 million by 2027; down from $1.571 billion in 2016. Pay-TV subscriber numbers will fall from 3.70 million to 3.14 million over the same period.
Turkish pay-TV revenues will reach $722 million in 2027; $188 million lower than in 2016. However, the number of pay-TV subscribers will grow from 5.92 million in 2016 to 8.25 million in 2027 – so subscribers are paying less.
Cord-cutting in Israel will see 46 per cent of its pay-TV subs lost between 2014 to 2027. Pay-TV revenues will fall from $1.15 billion to $437 million over the same period.