Leading pay-television services added over 20 million subscribers worldwide in a year – approximately the same number as DIRECTV has in the US – according to the latest Multiscreen Index by informitv.
The number of digital video subscribers to the 100 top pay TV services in the Index rose by 5.24 million in the second quarter of 2014, up 1.6% – slightly higher than in the first quarter which added 4.71 million subscribers, a 1.4% increase.
The 100 services in the Multiscreen Index, which tracks trends in television services and provides a compilation of top 10 tables and charts showing annual and quarterly changes in subscriber numbers, added 20.29 million subscribers in the twelve months to the middle of 2014, a 6.0% rise.
The 10 services with the most subscribers gained 1.14 million between them in the three months to the end of June, compared to 1.21 million the previous quarter.
Satellite services added 2.13 million subscribers worldwide, just ahead of telco television operators which added 2.07 million, while losses in the US reduced the gains for cable to 0.75 million.
The 10 services with the greatest gains added over 3 million subscribers between them in the second quarter, while the 10 with the largest losses shed just over 800,000.
Comcast and Time Warner Cable lost 296,000 video customers and Dish Network and DIRECTV lost 78,000, while AT&T and Verizon added 289,000.
“The Multiscreen Index shows continued worldwide growth in subscription television services, despite losses among operators in the United States,” said William Cooper, editor of the Index.
“America remains the most valuable market, and revenues continue to rise, but the opportunities for subscriber growth lie elsewhere.”
