Coronavirus accelerates global SVOD growth

Global SVOD subscriptions will grow by 519 million between 2019 and 2025 to 1,161 million – an increase of 81% – according to forecasts released by Digital TV Research.

According to the research outfit, the total number of SVOD subscriptions will climb by 170 million in 2020 alone as numbers jump thanks to coronavirus-related lockdowns across the planet.

According to Digital TV Research, five global platforms will collectively have 640 million paying SVOD subscribers by 2025. Disney+ will be the biggest winner in terms of new additions, growing by 176 million subscribers between 2019 and 2025 to take its total to 202 million. However, Netflix, from a much larger established base, will nevertheless add 91 million subscribers, according to Digital TV Research.

The share of the global SVOD total taken by domestic Chinese players will rise significantly given that no foreign platforms are expected to enter China. According to the research outfit, China’s domestic players will account for 23% of the global total by 2025.

Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “We have completely revised our forecasts for 138 countries in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. A major impact of lockdown has been a steep rise in SVOD subscriptions.”