In spite of the hype over Netflix, Hulu and other so-called over-the-top (OTT) services, the global paid TV market keeps getting bigger.
Last year, 690.2 million householders subscribed to pay TV, reflecting an annual increase of 7.6 percent, according to a “World TV Markets" report released by IDATE, a market analysis and consulting firm in Europe.
Cable TV led the market with 490 million subscriptions, but cable’s leading position in the pay TV industry is weakening. Cable represented 71.5 percent of all subscriptions last year, down from 79.5 percent in 2007, according to the report.
In 2010, satellite TV accounted for 22.3 percent of all subscriptions or 154.1 million subscribers. Meanwhile, 24 million homes last year subscribed to IP television, whose share grew by three points to 5.1 percent, IDATE said.
Growth in mature markets, including Europe and North America, has been modest over the past few years.
The Middle East and Africa and Latin America have seen the strongest growth during the period from 2007 through 2010, according to the report. The Asia-Pacific region also has recorded significantly more growth than in Europe and North America.
