Futuresource: Netflix ‘almost entirely’ driving SVOD spend in Brazil

Netflix has sparked a “major shift in premium entertainment consumption” in Brazil and is driving subscription video-on-demand revenues in the country, according to Futuresource Consulting.

The research firm estimates that Netflix added more than 1.5 million Brazilian subscribers in 2018 to exceed 8.5 million, a similar estimated number to the UK – making these two markets Netflix’s “best performing international territories.”

“Consumer spend on SVOD [in Brazil] is almost entirely driven by Netflix and accounted for around 8% of total entertainment spend in 2018,” said Tanzim Rahman, research analyst at Futuresource.

“Beyond 2019, the SVOD market is projected to experience 20%+ growth in revenue per year, with revenues projected to nearly double by 2022 reaching just shy of R$3.8 billion (US$ 1 billion).”

Futuresource estimates that SVOD accounted for three quarters of home video spend in 2018, which remained flat as transactional video-on-demand spend almost exactly compensated for a 20% decline in DVD and Blu-ray sales.

Brazil’s video entertainment sector is still dominated by pay TV, which accounted for 77% of spend in 2018, according to the report. However, pay TV revenue declined 9% last year due to poor economic conditions within the region.

Futuresource said it expects Brazil’s pay TV performance to pick up in 2020 in line with a general economic recovery, though it tips pay TV to account for a slightly smaller 75% of the overall video market in 2022 as SVOD continues to expand.

“Brazil’s video entertainment industry is still feeling the after-effects of recession and although the economy returned to growth in 2017, the video sector has yet to recover,” said Rahman.

“Total video expenditure is dominated by pay TV, which in 2018 accounted for 77% of spend. Therefore, a declining pay TV subscriber base means that despite a growing home video market, driven by SVOD, the total video entertainment market spend finished 2018 down 6%.

“Nevertheless, the situation is poised for a turnaround. With the economy recovering, broadband penetration growing, connected device uptake increasing and payment options improving there are now the foundations for future expansion.”