HD Gives Digital Pay TV a Boost

(Business News & Technology News, 13 Feb 2008)

The Direct-to-Home (DTH) pay-TV market is expected to continue growing at about 7.6 percent annually in subscribers from 2006 to 2011, and new services such as high-definition TV will help increase revenue. According to market research firm In-Stat, the rapid growth in the subscriber base will occur in certain less mature markets like Africa and India, where new DTH providers have or will begin service.

"In more mature markets, growth rates, while slower, remain positive—being spurred forward by bundled and premium services such as HD," says Michael Inouye, In-Stat analyst. "HD is rapidly becoming a key differentiator in the US, and some Western European countries like the UK have exhibited strong growth potential for high definition."

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:
- There will be 129 million DTH pay-TV subscribers worldwide by 2011.
- Revenues will eclipse $96 billion by 2011.
- As IPTV/telco TV expands and takes a competitive position as a third or fourth pay-TV category, the markets will further fractionate, creating added pressures to differentiate.

Click here for more information