Sub-Saharan Africa will have 16 million paying SVOD subscriptions by 2029, up from 7 million at the end of 2023, as shown in the latest report by Digital TV Research, “Africa OTT TV and Video Forecasts.” South Africa and Nigeria will supply 59% (9.4 million) of the region’s total. However, SVOD penetration will still be low by 2029, with only 7.1% of TV households paying for at least one subscription – although this is up from 4.7% at the end of 2023.
According to the research, Netflix will remain the SVOD market leader, with 6.9 million subscribers by 2029. Showmax will be the second largest platform, with 3.7 million paying subscribers. With its roll-out expected to be limited to South Africa, Disney+ will have 905,000 subscriptions by 2029.
Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “SVOD is a battle between Netflix and regional player Showmax. Rich in local content and sports rights, Showmax now has access to NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures, and HBO content. Showmax’s parent MultiChoice recently rejected a takeover bid from Canal Plus.”
Previously, Digital TV Research had published another forecast for pay TV subscribers in the region, which is expected to climb by 12 million between 2023 and 2029. Also, the company expects global SVOD subscriptions to rise by 321 million by 2029, as a report published in November 2023 forecast.