Global pay-TV subscriptions forecast to hit 1bn by 2027

The number of pay TV subscribers in 138 countries is forecast to reach 1.03 billion by 2027, according to new research.

This would represent more than half (57%) of TV households, a decrease from the peak reached in 2018 of 61%.

The pay TV subscriber forecast has been upgraded on figures from 2021 as pay TV has been growing in developing countries.

Pay satellite TV will lose 12 million subscribers between 2021 and 2027, and at the same time cable TV subs will lose 56 million as households switch to platforms using high-speed broadband.

Digital TV Research also predicted analogue cable TV subscribers would fall to zero by 2027 from 22 million in 2021.