Articles

Pay-TV growing faster in Africa and the Middle East (AME) in comparison other major regions

by Ambarish Verma President

According to new report: ‘Pay-TV Market Trends and Opportunities in Africa & the Middle East’ the AME’s pay-TV market is relatively underdeveloped but is growing rapidly and its pay-TV penetration in 2017 fell substantially below the global average of 54.4%.

The AME market consists of extreme heterogeneous pay-TV penetration levels. For instance, the UAE and Egypt have polar oppositepay-TV household penetration levels of around 88.4% and 2.5%, respectively.

However, we are witnessing strong overall growth in the AME due to the expanding content portfolios, tailored to local audiences. An effective blend of exclusive sport broadcasting, regional and international content in various genres with multiple languages such as Arabic, English and French, help pay-TV providers gain subscribers and remain competitive in AME.

One of the biggest challenges facing pay-TV operators in AME is piracy, as the proliferation of illegal set-top boxes (STB) and decoders continue to negatively impact pay-TV operator’s revenues. Anti-piracy initiatives are vital to protect operator investments in premium broadcasting content and revenue streams. To counter the impact of piracy, pay-TV players can partner with government authorities to curtail the distribution of illegal content. Despite this challenge, the pay-TV segment in the AME region is still in its infancy and there is ample opportunity for growth.

Major Revelations:

- To compete effectively in AME, an effective mixture of licensing strategy, content development, protection, and distribution is required.

- Broadcasters could reduce churn by offering compelling solutions of linear and non-linear formats, aimed at providing an enriched user-experience.

- Increasing competition is forcing many pay-tv operators to reduce their service prices, thus driving down total pay-tv ARPS in the region.

Telecom Market Research

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About Ambarish Verma Advanced   President

52 connections, 3 recommendations, 254 honor points.
Joined APSense since, July 19th, 2018, From Lewes, United States.

Created on Nov 10th 2018 08:41. Viewed 755 times.

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