Global Pay-TV Subs to Exceed 1.1 Billion by 2020

The worldwide pay-TV market grew at a steady rate of 4 percent last year, reaching 923.5 million subscribers, according to ABI Research, though weak currency exchange rates resulted in a slower increase of revenue for the segment.

Worldwide, the pay-TV market generated $257 billion in 2014 and is expected to surpass 1.1 billion subscribers in 2020 with a CAGR 2.7 percent. Cable and terrestrial TV markets had weaker growth rates in 2014 compared to satellite and IPTV platforms. However, HD penetration is increasing across all pay-TV platforms, due to the increasing number of HD channels added by operators. Last year, 44 percent of the worldwide pay-TV subscriber base were HD subscribers, with the highest HD penetration in Western Europe and North America. HD penetration is expected to reach 60 percent of the totalhttp://worldscreen.com/articles/display/49615