Australian pay TV sector to see accelerated decline as a result of coronavirus

The coronavirus pandemic is set to accelerate the decline of the pay TV sector in Australia, claims a new report.

According to analytics firm Global Data, the total pay TV services revenue in Australia is set to decline at a CAGR of 3.2% from US$2.6 billion in 2019 to US$2.2 billion in 2024 due to the declining cable and DTH TV subscriptions and falling pay TV ARPU.

However, pay TV revenues in the country will fall sharply in 2020 as a direct consequence of the ongoing health crisis. The report says that the sector will drop by 5.5% year-over-year, with ARPU in Australia expected to fall from US$49.86 in 2019 to US$47.14 in 2020.

Deepa Dhingra, Telecom Analyst at GlobalData, said: “IPTV will remain the leading platform to deliver pay TV services in Australia through 2024. IPTV subscriptions are set to grow at a CAGR of 5.4% over the 2019-2024, on the back of improving fixed broadband infrastructure in the country that supports delivery of high-quality IPTV services. Furthermore, growing adoption of multi-play packages with integrated IPTV services will also support the IPTV growth over the coming years.

“Though Foxtel currently leads the pay-TV market in Australia, decline in its cable and DTH subscriber base will weaken its market position over the forecast period. Telstra is expected to surpass Foxtel in 2022 to become the market leader given its strong focus on providing cost effective multi-play packages with integrated IPTV services to compete in the market.”