Global Pay-TV Market Surpasses 900 Million Subs

The global pay-TV subscriber base increased more than 5 percent last year, bringing the total to 901.1 million worldwide, according to ABI Research.

The average revenue per user (ARPU) was down slightly, to $23.80 in 2013 (from $24.10 in 2012). Pay-TV ARPU in North America increased around 4 percent to $76 in 2013. This increase, according to major pay-TV operators in North America, is due to a growth in the proportion of customers with advanced pay-TV set-top boxes and upgraded HD programming packages. In Latin America, an unfavorable currency exchange rate contributed to a U.S. dollar equivalent decline in pay-TV ARPU for the region, which saw a 5-percent reduction to $34.60.http://worldscreen.com/articles/display/2014-4-30-abiresearch-globalpaytv