New Zealand pay TV revenues to decline in spite of rising subs

The pay TV market in New Zealand is set for revenue decline in spite of steady growth in overall subscriptions.

According to GlobalData, pay TV services revenue in the country will decline by a CAGR of 3.1% over the next five years.

The firm bases this prediction due to loss in cable and DTH subscriptions, declining aggregate pay TV ARPU  as well as growing subscribers’ preference for OTT video platforms.

As with the rest of the world, OTT is increasing in prominence, with a growing number of services available in the country. Leading US players are also upping their focuses on New Zealand and Australia, with both ViacomCBS and Netflix making senior appointments in the country.

Aasif Iqbal, telecom analyst at GlobalData, said: “Although DTH will remain the leading platform to deliver pay-TV services in New Zealand through 2025, IPTV subscriptions will grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period and will account for 40.3% subscription share by 2025, supported by the expansion of fiber-optic networks in the country, which will increase the adoption of IPTV services on fiber network.

“SKY will lead the pay TV market and account for an estimated 66.5% share of the total pay-TV subscriptions in 2020. The operator will maintain its leadership in the pay-TV segment through 2025 given its strong foothold in the DTH segment and focus on promoting a wide range of pay-TV plans catering to different needs of the subscribers like sports, entertainment, movies, kids shows, food and lifestyle.”