22 MAR 2024

Eastern Europe to add 9 million digital pay TV subs

According to Digital TV Research, pay TV subs will fall by 8 million from 2018 to 2029. However, 2018 included 17 million analog cable subscribers, which will drop to zero by 2027.

22 MAR 2024

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The number of digital pay TV subscribers in Eastern Europe will rise by 9 million over this period, according to a research by Digital TV Research. The number of pay TV subscribers will decline by 8 million from 81 million in the peak year of 2018 to 74 million in 2029. However, 2018 included 17 million analog cable subscribers, which will drop to zero by 2027.

Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “Tough times continue in Eastern Europe, with poor job prospects forcing many to seek work abroad. This migration married with low birth rates mean that populations will fall or stall in 17 of the 22 countries covered in this report between 2023 and 2029.”

Pay TV subscriber numbers will fall in 20 of the 22 countries covered between 2023 and 2029, with the total down by 2.4 million. There will be 4.6 million fewer analog cable subs. Pay satellite TV will fall by 2.6 million. However, IPTV will gain 2.8 million and digital cable 1.9 million. Russia will account for nearly half of the region’s pay TV subscribers in 2029, despite losing 2.6 million pay TV subscribers between 2023 and 2029.