New NSR Study Finds Contrasting DTH Trends among Major Emerging Markets

Wilmington, DE, May 12, 2014 – NSR’s newest report, Global Direct-to-Home (DTH) Markets, 7th Edition, concludes when it comes to Direct-to-Home (DTH) Television services, not all emerging markets are created equal. NSR’s regional-centric analysis of DTH platforms points to a significant divergence in market trends not just between “developing” and “developed” markets, but also within the markets of the “developing world."

“Considerably more so than in year’s past, this year we noted a huge difference in the way that emerging markets are developing,” notes Blaine Curcio, NSR Analyst and report lead author. “Looking at South Asia, we consistently heard the need for consolidation. This compares to the Sub-Saharan Africa region - relatively similar in terms of level of economic development – in which we often heard the market is opening up, with regional and national players challenging the market leaders and increasing competition. Further, markets like Russia are seeing a big decline in ARPUs made up for by huge subscriber gains—almost an “India-esque” strategy.”

Different regions are also seeing revenue growth coming from very different sources. “In markets like India, revenue growth will be driven by a rise in ARPUs. Granted, subscriber growth will be healthy, but the big money maker will be quadrupling ARPUs from a low base in the next decade,” explains Alan Crisp, NSR Analyst and report co-author. Conversely, markets like Sub-Saharan Africa will see falling ARPUs as millions of low-income subscribers sign onto regional platforms offering more affordable content than the pan-continental behemoths. Net result? Rising revenues from more subscribers, not from higher ARPUs. Simply put, these are completely opposite development trends.

While major growth will come from developing regions, mature markets like North America & Western Europe will still see growth in the form of rising ARPUs, coming from emerging technologies such as UltraHD and an increase in HD channel counts.

In its 7th Edition, NSR’s annual report provides the industry’s most in-depth analysis of the satellite DTH market. Global Direct-to-Home (DTH) Markets, 7th Edition builds upon previous editions, with more interviews with major DTH operators and platforms than ever before. With a greater focus on dynamic developing regions, the report examines growth in some surprising and unexpected places. The report’s findings, broken down regionally, outline trends throughout the DTH industry relating to ARPUs, subscriber numbers, channels, churn rates, and more, with 2013-2014 year data and NSR’s signature qualitative analysis. For additional information on this report, including a full table of contents, list of figures and executive summary, please visit www.nsr.com or call NSR at +1-617-576-5771.