Pay TV boom forecast for CEE

Pay TV revenues in central and eastern Europe will increase 50% in the period between 2009 and 2015, according to the latest forecasts from Informa. Pay TV in the region has weathered the downturn well and with Russia and Poland leading the way, the sector is poised for rapid growth according to Informa Telecoms & Media principal analyst Adam Thomas.


“With so many new services having launched in recent years, the financial downturn could well have prompted numerous closures of nascent services still trying to gain a secure foothold in some seriously competitive markets,” Thomas said. “But that hasn’t happened to any great extent and the sector is well-positioned to flourish as a result.”


Pay TV revenues are forecast to increase from US$7.4 billion in 2009 to US$11 billion (€7.5 billion) in 2015. Russia and Poland are Eastern Europe’s revenue giants, together accounting for 43% of the region’s pay TV revenues. Their position is set to become stronger during the forecast period – accounting for a combined 51% of pay TV revenues in 2015.


Revenue per user will increase sharply in the next few years, but could then slow, Thomas says. “Rates of ARPU increase will start to slow towards the end of the forecast period and in some sectors go into decline – as the impact of dual- and triple-play bundles, plus new competition from over-the-top (OTT) services, pushes down TV prices,” he says.

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