UK, France take OTT lead, Italy and Spain lag


The UK and France are the most developed of the large, western European TV markets in terms of the roll out of OTT services.

Broadcaster-led catch-up services are driving the uptake of OTT TV in the UK and France, according to research company SNL Kagan.



Italy and Spain, meanwhile, have more limited penetration of OTT services. In Spain there is a gap for OTT services created by high-speed broadband take-up and high pay TV prices deterring consumers, according to Kagan. However, rampant piracy will put a brake on uptake of legitimate OTT services, it added.



In Italy, the competitive environment does not lend itself to OTT start-ups, Kagan says, although the established are well positioned to leverage hybrid DTT/OTT systems to make a big impact long-term.