Asia Pacific pay TV subscribers to reach 666m

The Asia Pacific pay TV market is tipped to climb from 574 million subscribers last year to 666 million in 2022, according to Digital TV Research.

The forecast predicts that China and India together will account for 80% of the region’s pay TV in five years’ time, with China tipped to add 40 million subscribers between 2016 and 2022 and India an extra 30 million.

However, five of the 22 countries covered by the report are tipped to see a decline in subscribers between 2016 and 2022 – including Japan, which is expected to see its pay TV subs dip from 24.7 million in 2016 to 24.4 million in 2022.

“Digital cable will supply 72 million of the 92 million pay TV subscriber additions between 2016 and 2022. However analogue cable subscriptions will fall by 70 million – leaving cable nearly flat overall. IPTV will contribute in an extra 57 million subs, with pay satellite TV up by 32 million,” according to the report.

Overall Asia Pacific pay TV revenues are expected to increase by US$5.75 billion between 2016 and 2022 to reach US$40.13 billion (€37.76 billion) – with China, India and Japan expected to account for more than two-thirds of these revenues.

“India will contribute US$3.25 billion to the additional revenues, with China bringing in US$1.10 billion more. Pay TV revenues will double in Bangladesh and Myanmar, but will fall in six other countries,” said the study.