Nine Operators Dominate MEA Pay TV

London, UK, August 2, 2016--Pay TV subscriptions in the Middle East & Africa region will increase by 67% between 2015 and 2021 – from 32.37 million to 54.09 million. The top nine pay TV operators [Multichoice (DStv and GOtv), StarTimes/StarSat, Canal Plus, OSN, beIN, DigiTurk, D-Smart, Yes and HOT], accounted for 70% of these subscribers by end-2015, with this proportion falling to 66% by 2021. So nine companies will continue to control more than two-thirds of the region’s pay TV subscribers, according to the Middle East & Africa Pay TV Operator Forecasts report.

Satellite TV platform DStv will continue to be the region’s leading pay TV operator by subscribers; adding nearly 3 million to its total between 2015 and 2021. Sister company and DTT platform GOtv will add 3.8 million subs. Its rival StarTimes will increase its active subs base by a similar amount (3.7 million) to push it into second place among the pay TV operators. 

Growth in the Middle East and North Africa will be more modest than Sub-Saharan Africa, although beIN will double its subs base between 2015 and 2021. 

Subscription and PPV pay TV revenues from the Middle East and Africa will climb from US$ 7.95 billion to $11.47 billion over the same period. Subscription and VOD revenues for the top nine operators accounted for 81% of the 2015 total, but this proportion falling slightly to 78% by 2021. 

DStv will remain the wealthiest operator. DStv will also be the biggest winner; increasing its revenues by more than $1 billion between 2015 and 2021. Canal Plus will follow with an extra $369 million. GOtv’s, beIN’s and StarTimes’ revenues will all at least double over the same period.