Global pay TV revenues peaked in 2016 at $199 billion but are expected to fall to $125 billion in 2028, down from $151 billion in 2022, despite the number of pay TV subscribers remaining at just under 1 billion.
That’s the conclusion from U.K. researcher Digital TV Research, which estimates that pay TV revenues will fall by $26 billion between 2022 and 2028. Satellite TV revenues will drop by $12 billion, with digital cable down by $13 billion. Analog cable will lose a further $1 billion. IPTV will be flat. Revenues will decline in 71 of the 138 countries between 2022 and 2028.
The U.S. pay TV’s share in the global TV market will also decline, according to Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV Research. “U.S. pay TV revenues peaked at $101 billion in 2011,” Murray said. “Its total will drop from $65 billion in 2022 to $46 billion in 2028. The U.S. will still account for 37% of global revenues by 2028, which is down from 43% in 2022.”