Top ten global TV providers add 5.53 million subs in 2014

The latest report from informitv shows that the industry index of 100 leading pay-television services around the world added 5.11 million subscribers in the last quarter of 2014, a rise of 1.42%.

The ten services with the most subscribers added 5.53 million during 2014, with a combined total of nearly 130 million television customers.

The findings, taken from the April issue of the Multiscreen Index report, reveal that two-thirds of services in the index reported net subscriber gains in the last three months of 2014. Satellite service providers gained the most subscribers, with net additions of 2.71 million, followed by telco television services gaining 1.99 million.

Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk and BT all gained television customers in the last quarter of 2014 and added 1.14 million over the year. TalkTalk gained 600,000 and Sky added 398,000 in 2014. The four companies ended the year with 17.11 million television customers in total.

While television services remain a big business, they are part of a broader communications industry in which fixed and mobile broadband services are increasingly important. 2015 is likely to be marked by continuing consolidation as corporations combine their operations to achieve scale in a competitive market.

“The index of 100 services worldwide provides an industry barometer of the pressure on pay-TV services,” said Dr William Cooper, the editor of the report. “In saturated markets there is intense pressure on incumbents from new entrants, while in developing markets there is room for growth.”

The Multiscreen Index tracks trends in television services giving an index of 100 leading pay-television services worldwide.