Eastern Europe set for SVOD revenue growth

SVOD revenues in Eastern Europe are set to almost double in the coming years, driven by strong performance in Poland.

According to Digital TV Research, Eastern European SVOD revenues will reach US$2.95 billion by 2027, up from US$1.6 billion in 2021.

The firm predicts that Poland will be the only country to generate more than US$1 billion by 2027, with the nation hitting US$1.09 billion in SVOD revenues. Second will be Russia which, despite currently being boycotted by players such as Netflix and Disney, will have a strong enough local streaming offering to reach US$605 million in SVOD revenues by 2027.

The total region will be at 38 million SVOD subscriptions by 2027, up from 22 million at the end of 2021. Excluding Russia and Ukraine, subscriptions for 20 countries will triple from 9 million in 2021 to 24 million in 2027.

The report also notes that this will make Eastern Europe ripe for SVOD growth, with only 16% of the region’s TV households will be subscribed to at least one SVOD platform by 2027. Excluding Russia and Ukraine, this proportion will double from 11% in 2021 to 24% in 2027. Penetration in Poland will reach 44% by 2027.

Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “Excluding Russia and Ukraine – no mean feat considering that together they provide 57% of the region’s TV households – revenues will grow from $0.93 billion in 2021 to $2.24 billion in 2027. This was prompted by 2022 launches from Disney+, SkyShowtime and HBO Max.”