Pay TV stability for LATAM

Pay TV subscribers in Latin America are set to remain stable following years of decline driven by poor economic conditions.

According to Digital TV Research, the number of Latin American pay TV subscribers will remain around 62 million over the next few years. This is down from a peak of 73 million in 2017, but the research firm claims there will be minor growth going forward.

The pay TV base will remain steady, but satellite TV is set to lose more than 4 million subscribers between 2021-27, going from 24.89 million in 2021 to 20.48 million in 2027. Cable meanwhile will be relatively flat, with A Cable’s switch off seeing D Cable grow from 29.64 million to 30.62 million.

IPTV however will be the biggest winner, adding more than 5 million subscribers. The growth of cord-cutting in the region will see IPTV services grow from 6.88 million subscribers in 2021 to almost double that total in 2027 with 12.1 million.

Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “Broadband connections are fast becoming more important than traditional pay TV, especially as the main US-based SVOD platforms now operate across Latin America. Households have more interest in bundles – to the detriment of single-play platforms such as most satellite TV operators.”