China to spur Asia pay TV boom

There will be over 500 million new digital TV homes across Asia Pacific between now and 2020 with China and India responsible for much of the growth according to new research.

Digital TV Research says that digital pay TV penetration stood at 51.7% at the end of 2013 and that total will increase to 61.2% by the end of this year. Between then and 2020 the rapid conversion to digital will continue, taking the total to 97.5% according to the research house.

China and India will be the two most influential territories with 70% of the region’s TV homes by 2020. China alone will have as many TV households as Europe and North America combined.

Pay TV penetration in the Asia Pacific region will rise from 58.5% in 2013 to 68.0% in 2020, adding 164 million subs to take the total to 648 million. Digital pay TV penetration will climb from 20.9% in 2010 to 66.5% in 2020. Digital pay TV subscribers will quadruple from 163 million in 2010 to 636 million by 2020.

In pay TV revenue terms Asia Pacific will generate US$46 billion in 2020; nearly double the 2010 figure. Digital pay TV revenues will triple from $15 billion in 2010 to $46 billion in 2020.

Pay TV revenues will more than double in 10 countries including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam between 2013 and 2020. However, revenues will fall in Hong Kong, and will increase by less than 10% in New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea.