IPTV subscriber numbers to climb by 100 million

The number of homes paying for IPTV services is set to grow by almost 100 million between the end of 2012 and the end of 2018, according to a new report from Digital TV Research. 

The TV industry research firm predicted that pay IPTV subscriber figures will go from 69.4 million at the end of 2012 to 167 million by the end of 2018, representing 10.6% of overall TV households. This compares to 4.8% of TV households in 2012.

“This means that IPTV penetration will exceed 10% of TV households by 2018, more than double the 2012 figure and up from only 1% in 2008,” said Simon Murray, Digital TV Research’s author of the Global IPTV Forecasts report.

Of the 98 million subscribers due to be added over the six-year period, 73%, or 71 million, will be in the Asia Pacific Region, according to the research. Overall, Asia Pacific is tipped to account for 64% of global pay IPTV subscribers by 2018 with China to be the top country with 76 million subscribers – up from 23 million in 2012.

IPTV revenues will also climb from US$2.8 billion (€2.1 billion) in 2008 and US$12.0 billion in 2012 to a predicted US$21.3 billion in 2018. Asia Pacific’s share of the global total will increase from 13% in 2008 to 34% by 2018 – just behind North America.

Of the US$9.3 billion in additional revenues to be created between 2012 and 2018, the US will provide US$1.9 billion and Asia Pacific region will contribute an extra $4.0 billion.

The US will remain the largest IPTV revenue earner by taking 30% of the 2018 total, down from a 40% share in 2008. France will drop from second place in 2012 to fourth by 2018, while China will take second place in 2018, with revenues nearly quadruple the 2012 figure.