Asia-Pac pay-TV growth to slow

Inside Satellite TV
© M2 Communications, Ltd.

Pay-TV and broadband markets in the Asia-Pacific region will grow by 12% this year good, but significantly down on the 19% CAGR seen since 2003, according to new figures from Media Partners Asia (MPA). And MPA predicts the slowdown will continue, falling to 10% over the next five years, and just 7% over the next decade. But seen in revenue terms, the region will remain robust, with revenues rising from last year’s US$64 billion to US$102 billion by 2013 and US$130 billion by 2018. Penetration of pay-TV services will rise from 2008’s 43% to 52% in 2013 and 54% in 2018. Digital pay-TV penetration will go up from 2008’s 12% to 35% by 2013 and 43% by 2018.

Revenues for pay-TV broadcasters will reach US$20 billion by 2013 and US$26 billion by 2018, with 54% coming from advertising and 46% from subscriptions.

High definition penetration will remain a relatively low-penetration business, with just 15% of homes forecast to have HDTV by 2018, while PVR penetration will increase from 1.3 million in 2008 to 16 million by 2018.

Meanwhile, Indian pay-TV advertising will return to double-digit growth from 2011 after two years of significant softening during 2009 and 2010. And MPA remains bullish on Indian subscription revenues, expected to grow at a CAGR of 12% in the next ten years.

In India, subscription revenues will reach US$13 billion by 2018, of which US$5.7 billion will come from digital pay-TV and US$500 million from new revenue streams including high definition packages, PVR services and video-on-demand as well as more traditional pay-per-view services. However, the majority of subscription revenues in India US$7.1 billion will still come from analogue pay-TV.