Global pay-TV subscriptions are forecast to fall over the next five years as the US in particular continues to see consumers “cord-cutting” and switching to streaming services.
Global pay-TV penetration is expected to reach 56% of TV households by the end of 2023, and this will fall slightly to 54% by the end of 2029, according to Digital TV Research’s Global Pay TV Forecasts report.
Between 2023 and 2029, the report said, 82 countries will add pay TV subscribers and 56 countries will lose subscribers. The US will be the biggest loser — down by 10 million subscribers.
The number of pay-TV subscribers across 138 countries will remain at just under 1 billion. Digital TV Research forecasts a slender decline until 2025, with a small recovery thereafter.
Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “IPTV (streaming) is the pay-TV winner….
