Digital Lifescapes

The video entertainment market continues to evolve in America. Low-cost, new and improved over-the-top (OTT) video streaming services have made it virtually impossible for the traditional pay-TV providers to justify their high-cost offerings. Meanwhile, the legacy pay-TV service providers can't halt the continued loss of subscribers, as consumers seek and find alternative sources of news, weather and video entertainment online. U.S. multi-channel defections ballooned in the third quarter, amplified by tighter promotions at a time when consumers need little additional motivation to seek OTT alternatives, according to the latest market study by Kagan, a TMT research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence . Pay-TV Market Development Kagan estimates traditional multi-channel subscribers fell by nearly 1.9 million in the three months ended September 30 -- that's a 25 percent spike from the previous largest drop in the second quarter of 2019. The combined tradition...

Traditional telecom service providers and mobile network operators have many challenges that impact their ability to generate new growth. That said, the situation is more problematic for those companies that had also invested in legacy pay-TV business models. Looking ahead, the next few years are likely to be confounding. Worldwide spending on telecom services and pay-TV services will reach $1,633 billion in 2019, and that's an increase of 0.8 percent year-on-year, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Furthermore, IDC forecasts that those same services will reach $1,647 billion in 2020, representing an increase of just 0.9 percent. Given that assessment, the senior executives that lead these companies will seek ways to change the status quo and transform their business model. Telecommunications Market Development Mobile communications remain the largest segment of the market, accounting for 52.8 percent of the total in 2019. The mobi...

Ongoing disruption of the video entertainment industry is most apparent in North America, where incumbent pay-TV service providers continue to report significant subscriber declines. Past attempts to slow or reverse the customer losses have proven to be unsuccessful. Clearly, it's a huge challenge. Furthermore, relatively new rivals in the sector, such as AT&T and Verizon, have invested heavily to acquire legacy media and online advertising companies in the hope of finding a viable business model to compete with more innovative offerings from a growing list of alternative providers. Video Entertainment Market Development Meanwhile, the growth of subscription over-the-top (OTT) video services has been driving the changing trends in the pay-TV landscape. OTT video services have attracted hundreds of millions of subscribers worldwide, causing pressure on traditional pay-TV operators. This OTT growth trend is expected to continue, reaching a subscriber base of 400 million i...

Digital TV and online video has seen the battle between Over the Top (OTT) providers and traditional television networks pushed to the forefront. In order to differentiate themselves, and reduce the need to rely on expensive content partnerships, OTTs will produce more of their own entertainment content. According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) services -- from leading providers such as Netflix and Amazon -- will drive a surge in OTT revenues to reach $120 billion in 2022, and that's up from $64 billion in 2017. In this environment, the traditional expensive bundle of pay-TV services will surely continue their decline. Original Content Market Development The upside market opportunity for the innovative low-cost video entertainment providers is significant. The in-depth market research also uncovered that over a quarter of global households will eventually subscribe to SVOD services by 2022. The new research foun...

Some traditional pay-TV service providers have already supported their customer's expectations for better apps on smart TVs, which enable service subscribers to overcome the limitations of their provider's set-top box and limited on-demand video programs. Moreover, the leading online video subscription services -- such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu -- enable millions of American smart TV owners to independently access video entertainment (without traditional pay-TV). Internet-Connected TV Market Development According to new research from The Diffusion Group (TDG), the penetration of Internet-connected TVs among U.S. broadband households has increased nearly 50 percent since 2013 -- from 50 percent market penetration to 74 percent at the end of 2016. Connected-TV market penetration grew by 22 percent between 2013 and 2014, and another 15 percent between 2014 and 2015. However, new growth has slowed to only 4 percent, indicating that the market has matured, which is...

Video entertainment demand has been evolving rapidly. Yet traditional pay-TV service providers are still challenged to address the needs of more progressive consumers. Case in point: subscriber awareness of their "TV Everywhere" offerings -- the ability to watch programming from their pay-TV provider on devices other than a TV -- remains low at 36 percent, which is unchanged since 2013. Meanwhile, pay-TV marketers are attempting to capitalize on another growing trend. Skinny bundles, TV subscription packages composed of selected channels targeting specific customer segments, have the potential to attract elusive younger consumers to pay-TV, according to the latest market study by Altman Vilandrie & Company. However, their survey also finds that two-thirds of older consumers, typically the most loyal subscribers of legacy pay-TV, say they are wasting money for channels they don’t use -- so, skinny bundles could cannibalize the service provider's existing subscriber...

Streaming video entertainment services, such as those available from Netflix and Amazon, have already had a significant impact on the pay-TV sector in North America. As a result, European pay-TV operators that witnessed this disruption are eager to consider options that would enable them to transform their business. Amazon Video has announced it will be launching its Amazon Streaming Partners Program (ASPP) in Europe. Amazon operates a platform business model for video; it provides flexible video entertainment services to consumers and content rights holders, plus it's already present in every part of the value chain. Amazon is becoming a credible and more direct competitor to pay-TV service providers, despite not competing with core live content, according to the findings from the latest market study by Analysys Mason. Pay-TV Market Development in Europe This platform business model allows video content owners to offer their own subscriptions through Amazon Video, instead ...

Several television broadcasters and pay-TV providers have attempted to match over-the-top (OTT) video by offering their own online services. Most notable is the move by HBO to offer a subscription service to their TV shows via HBO Now. Revenues from subscription video on demand (SVOD) services, such as Netflix and Amazon, are set to more than double from $14.6 billion this year, to $34.6 billion in 2021. Netflix will now grow its U.S. subscriber base to be similar in size with leading traditional pay-TV service providers. Ongoing SVOD Market Development According to the latest market study by Juniper Research, SVOD providers will see substantial returns on their expansion and growth strategies, as more countries and markets move to this method of video consumption. And, as more consumers adopt the move away from the old linear, scheduled TV model. While SVOD continues to draw customers away from traditional pay-TV providers, legacy networks are now seeking to diversify and a...

The world now contains 8.1 billion connected smartphones, media tablets, personal computers, televisions, TV-attached devices and various audio devices. On average, across the whole globe, this Internet-connected device installed base now equates to about four devices per household. "The proliferation of media-enabled connected endpoints has implications for media consumption, media production, broadband infrastructure, and the business itself of network management and traffic discrimination," said Merrick Kingston, principal analyst at IHS . Smartphones have already contributed about half a billion new devices to the market each year. Media tablet adoption has also grown rapidly. But that overall growth is not spread evenly. Case in point: by the end of 2020, the forecast smartphone-to-tablet ratio will rise to nearly 10:1, according to the latest worldwide market study by IHS. Gains for Mainstream Market Development The IHS study also noted the big changes in the...

Traditional Pay-TV service providers in saturated markets, such as North America, could use a new value-add competitive edge to counter the ongoing subscriber losses from low-cost OTT video entertainment growth. Television sets with 4K video capabilities also present a growth opportunity for pay-TV equipment vendors. ABI Research forecasts the 4K set-top box market will quadruple in size from less than two million units in 2015 to more than 7 million in 2016, and then grow by 46 percent annually through 2021. However, the overall pay-TV set-top box market is on the decline, expected to drop by about nine percent in 2016 to less than $16 billion in revenue -- with both pay-TV and free-to-air boxes losing value. Pay-TV Market Development Challenges “Digital transitions are taking longer than initially planned and the market is experiencing significant downward pressure on set-top box pricing,” said Sam Rosen, vice president at ABI Research . According to the ABI assessment, har...

Pay-TV service providers across the globe are responding to the emergence of agile video entertainment competitors. The over-the-top (OTT) television and video service revenues for 17 countries within the Asia-Pacific region will reach $18,396 million in 2021 -- that's up from $5,741 million in 2015. Furthermore, China will overtake Japan in 2016 to become market leader in the region. "Smartphone users will continue to drive OTT TV and video audiences. Smartphones are a more important OTT TV reception method than fixed broadband in the Asia-Pacific region -- with the notable exceptions of Australia and New Zealand," said Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research . Advertising on OTT sites will remain the main revenue source, bringing in $8,745 million by 2021 -- that's up by $6 billion from $2,609 million on 2015. China will supply $4,911 million of the 2021 total, with Japan providing a further $1,475 million. OTT Video Market Development in APAC ...

Over-the-top (OTT) video adoption continues to disrupt the legacy pay-TV market. In its latest analysis on the online streaming media adapter market, ABI Research examined the impact of new lower-priced devices and the mounting pressures within the global consumer electronics industry. People now have many ways to stream video entertainment. Moreover, the ongoing introduction of new, cost-efficient devices with innovative functionality has the capability to swiftly change the competitive landscape. Meanwhile, traditional pay-TV providers continue to increase service subscription and set-top box rental prices. "The rise of Google's Chromecast devices, along with the Amazon Fire TV Stick, generated interest in the stick or dongle form factor, but these successes speak more toward pricing than design," says Michael Inouye, principal analyst at ABI Research . Streaming Media Market Development In China, according to the ABI assessment, the streaming media stick form f...

Worldwide pay-TV revenues -- including subscription fees, PPV movies and TV episodes -- for 138 countries will grow by $99 million between 2015 and 2021 to reach $205.92 billion. That follows a 19.5 percent growth rate between 2010 and 2015, according to the latest market study by Digital TV Research. North American pay-TV revenues will fall by $13.5 billion between 2015 and 2021. Customer decline is responsible for some of this loss, but greater competition and conversion to bundles are more pressing factors. Moreover, the Western Europe region growth will be flat at $31 billion. "Most of the rest of the world will not follow the North American experience. True, pay-TV revenues will fall in 27 countries between 2015 and 2021, but not to the same extent as in Canada and the U.S. market," said Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research . Major Shift in Pay-TV Market Development That being said, most countries are nowhere near the market maturity achieved...

It's interesting to look back over the last few years of ups and downs within the American video entertainment and associated broadband internet access markets. The ongoing market transitions have created a volatile environment, where service providers react to the constantly shifting customer demand. Leichtman Research Group (LRG) reported that the thirteen largest pay-TV providers in the U.S. -- representing 95 percent of the market -- lost about 380,000 net video subscribers in 2015, that's compared to a loss of about 150,000 subscribers in 2014, and a loss of about 100,000 subscribers in 2013. The leading American pay-TV providers now account for 94.2 million subscribers -- the top nine cable companies have over 49 million video subscribers, satellite TV companies 33.7 million subscribers, and the top telephone companies 11.5 million subscribers. Shrinking Demand for Pay-TV Service Truly, 2015 was another year of transition for American pay-TV service providers. Th...

Video entertainment viewing in the typical American household has evolved. Gone are the days where broadcast television gained the lion's share of consumer attention. Meanwhile, legacy pay-TV services have struggled to keep pace with shifting customer preferences and numerous alternative lower-cost offerings. Average monthly spending on subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services among U.S. broadband households increased from $3.71 per month in 2012 to $6.19 per month in 2015, according to the latest market study by Parks Associates. Parks examined new business models emerging from the increasing consumption of over-the-top (OTT) content in the American video entertainment market -- including new experiments in content windowing. How the OTT Trend Disrupted the Market "Multiple content players have held onto traditional content windowing strategies for years, but OTT technologies and emerging business models have finally forced these companies to experiment with new w...

Reporting on the American pay-TV market during the last couple of years was somewhat predictable -- it's been an ongoing decline of subscribers as price increases motivated consumers to consider other video entertainment options. More and more American baby boomers in urban areas bought a digital TV indoor antenna and switched to free over-the-air HDTV broadcast services. For younger adults, traditional pay-TV wasn't viable -- why pay for advertiser-supported content that's available online for free or at a much lower cost via Hulu? Furthermore, as more online subscription video-on-demand services -- such as Netflix and Amazon Prime -- gained momentum, it became clear that the traditional mass-media TV was losing its appeal. Besides, a movement toward the adoption of over-the-top video entertainment seemed to be perpetual. But this market shift could still decelerate, given some of the recent trends. According to the latest market study by Leichtman Research Group (L...

The American video entertainment realm has continued to evolve during 2015. Market development in the traditional pay-TV sector has been particularly difficult. However, there are still some significant upside opportunities. Baby Boomers comprise nearly a third of U.S. adult broadband users and are significantly more likely than other segments to subscribe to traditional pay-TV services. According to the latest TDG Research study and data-driven analysis of this vital but oft-overlooked consumer segment, this makes them excellent candidates for the high-revenue sales of operator value-added services. As TDG first noted earlier this year, the race-to-the-bottom that currently defines pay-TV operator strategy -- that is, the targeting of Millennials with low-cost bundles -- has deflects marketing resources away from efforts to grow ARPU among other subscribers. "Unlike Millennials, Broadband Boomers are quite loyal to their current operators and have very deep pockets,"...

As the video entertainment market evolves in America, the traditional pay-TV service providers are seeking to maintain their subscriber base in the face of rising operational costs related to content, which often directly translates into higher service fees for their customers. Meanwhile, short-term promotional discounts are still being applied to attract potential new customers to the traditional pay-TV offerings. But it's becoming increasing difficult to compete with the value-based pricing of the over-the-top (OTT) streaming video services (Netflix, Hulu, etc.) . According to the latest market study by Leichtman Research Group (LRG), 83 percent of all U.S. households nationwide subscribe to some form of pay-TV service. That being said, the percentage of households that subscribe to a pay-TV service is down from 87 percent in 2010. "Changes in the dynamics of the pay-TV industry are not driven just by those exiting the category, but also those coming into the category,...

The video entertainment industry has experienced many changes during the last decade, but few were as dramatic as the shift in global pay-TV growth prospects. While many developed nations reached market saturation, emerging markets in the Asia-Pacific region assumed the market development leadership position. Pay-TV subscriptions for 338 operators across 89 countries will increase by 200 million from a collective 704 million in 2014 to 904 million by 2020, according to the latest worldwide market study by Digital TV Research . That being said, China Radio & TV is the world's largest pay-TV operator, by a wide margin. Chinese government policy to consolidate cable TV means that China Radio & TV quickly became the world's largest pay-TV operator -- with 198 million subscribers by the end of 2014. They will soon represent every cable TV home in China, with a forecast 252 million subscribers expected by 2020 -- that's an upside increase of nearly 54 million compar...

Digital entertainment now encompasses the inclusive aspect of services found on many smartphones, media tablets and connected TV sets. According to the latest market study by Juniper Research , the mobile and online entertainment industry will reach revenues in excess of $300 billion annually by 2019 -- that's up from $195 billion this year. The research observed that growth in the market would be driven by increased adoption of online television and video entertainment services, with the industry accounting for more than 60 percent of the net increase in market value over the next 5 years. The new study also found that Over-the-Top (OTT) video service providers -- such as Netflix and Hulu -- offer an attractive combination of third-party and home-grown content, with a subscription-based model that is supplanting the legacy on-demand pay-per-view approach. The research also found that while video game revenue will capture the lion's share of the digital entertainment m...