Digital Lifescapes

The global streaming industry has spent the better part of a decade chasing subscriber counts as the primary metric of success. That era is now formally over. New market data from Omdia confirms that the industry has crossed a decisive threshold; one that shifts the competitive playing field from growth-at-all-costs to monetization discipline. For senior executives navigating media, advertising, and technology strategy, the implications extend well beyond entertainment. A Historic Revenue Crossover Online video revenue increased 13.5 percent to $176 billion in 2025, while pay-TV revenue declined 4 percent to $170 billion; marking the first time in the industry's history that streaming has surpassed legacy pay-TV in revenue terms. This is not a rounding error or a statistical artifact; it represents the culmination of more than a decade of structural disruption to the traditional broadcast and cable TV model. Global subscriptions to online video services reached 2.24 billion by the ...

Across the globe, the companies providing your mobile phone plan are no longer just the carriers you know. They are your bank, your supermarket, and soon your fintech app. The Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) model, long a niche mechanism for budget carriers to resell network capacity, has entered a bold new era of growth. It's driven by enterprises seeking to deepen customer loyalty and diversify revenue in an increasingly competitive Global Networked Economy. MVNO Market Development According to the latest Juniper Research market study, the global MVNO subscriber base will climb from 333 million in 2026 to 438 million by 2030; that's an addition of over 100 million users in just four years. While that subscriber growth represents just 3.4 to 4.2 percent of total global mobile subscribers, the total MVNO revenue is forecast to reach $54.4 billion by 2030. Fueling much of this growth is the emerging MVNO-in-a-box (or Telecom-as-a-Service) market; a category forecast to re...

The eCommerce payments landscape is significantly transformed, driven by technological advancements, changing consumer preferences, and evolving regulatory frameworks. As global commerce increasingly shifts online, the methods and tech underlying eCommerce payments are evolving to meet growing demands for convenience, security, and efficiency. According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, the global eCommerce transaction value is forecast to reach $11.4 trillion by 2029 -- that's up from $7 trillion in 2024.  This 63 percent increase over five years underscores eCommerce's rapid expansion and adoption in key markets across the globe. eCommerce Payments Market Development "Alternative payment options have grown substantially, with APM transaction volumes leapfrogging cards in emerging markets. As merchants look to attract new users and geographies, they must consider offering APMs a key strategy to accomplish this," said Lorien Carter, research an...

The subscription business model has been one of the big success stories of the Internet era. From Netflix to Microsoft 365, more and more companies are moving towards recurring revenue streams by having customers pay for access rather than product ownership. The subscription economy cuts across many industries -- such as streaming services, software, media, consumer products, and even transportation with the rise of mobility-as-a-service. A new market study by Juniper Research highlights the central challenge facing subscription businesses -- reducing customer churn to build a loyal subscriber installed base. Subscription Model Market Development The Juniper market study provides an in-depth analysis of the subscription business model market landscape and associated customer retention strategies. A key finding is that impending government regulations will make it easier for customers to cancel subscriptions, likely leading to increased voluntary churn rates. The study report cites the...

The recurring subscription payments market is undergoing significant growth, primarily driven by the acceleration of consumer adoption. The market deals with periodic subscriptions to a variety of goods and services offered as an alternative payment model. While subscriptions have existed for a long time, their use in the consumer products marketplace is still evolving. Despite the usage being relatively new, the proliferation has been rapid and has spanned many different vertical markets. Recurring Payments Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, the transaction value of recurring payments will exceed $15.4 trillion globally in 2027 -- that's up from $13.2 trillion in 2023. This relatively slow growth of 17 percent reflects that recurring payments are a well-established market, but also disguises a rapid change of payment methods in the space, with Open Banking and Digital Wallet payments outstripping overall growth. As more retail me...

Wireless communication services continue to evolve and serve the voice and internet access needs of people in rural or remote areas of the world. Geostationary satellites were first to market, and now other satellite systems are pervasive.  The deployment of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations for extending terrestrial network coverage are the current driver of new wireless services in the global telecommunications sector. According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, this adoption will culminate in $141 billion worth of annual service revenues from satellites by 2030. Satellite Services Market Development "Satellite communications services have seen a new wave of enthusiasm and convergence with terrestrial networks looking to extend past their zones of coverage and bridge the digital divide," said Andrew Cavalier, industry analyst at ABI Research . Market developments have shown that satellite services like IoT, backhaul, commercial broadband, an...

Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) are underutilized in many factories, warehouses, hospitals, and smart offices. Moreover, the typical systems offered by IT solution providers leverage standalone software deployments with proprietary hardware. However, IT hardware costs will drop as more customers abandon proprietary systems to reduce vendor lock-in, increase application interoperability, and reduce the initial deployment costs, according to the latest market study by ABI Research. As a result, the sector will diversify and complement hardware sales by monetizing deployments through service models augmented by additional software features -- such as analytics and device management. Real-Time Location Systems Market Development According to the latest ABI Research market forecast, RTLS service revenue will be worth $3.7 billion in 2022 and will rise to $24.9 billion by 2030, at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.8 percent. "As RTLS hardware, such as tags and anchors, beco...

The number of mobile communication subscriptions worldwide is currently estimated at 8 billion, with 6 billion on smartphone connections, from a user base of 5.9 billion unique subscribers among a global population of 7.9 billion. Fifth-generation (5G) mobile service subscriptions using a compatible device significantly grew during the COVID-19 pandemic, but 4G connections remain the dominant force within the global telecom service provider sector. While the use of mobile phones is common throughout developing nations, 4G services are still an emerging technology in many parts of the world. Overall, 5G subscriptions will likely grow from 580 million at the end of 2021 to 3.5 billion by the end of 2026. 5G Mobile Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, revenue generated from 5G mobile services will reach $600 billion by 2026 -- representing 77 percent of global network operator-billed revenue. The adoption of 5G services across consumer and...

Among the key assets of a mobile telecommunications service provider are its network infrastructure and its billing relationship with their customers. While its role as a retailer of content has declined, Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) offers a new revenue stream. Even though it will not provide a wholescale solution to the underlying profitable revenue challenges of mobile network operators, it may eventually equal or exceed MNO content revenue pre-storefront. According to the latest market study by Juniper Research, DCB could benefit players across the value chain -- including content developers, content publishers, aggregators, and consumers. This includes increasing the incremental revenue opportunities for the providers of both digital and physical goods. Mobile Content Payment Market Development Juniper Research has found that total spend over direct carrier billing will reach $100 billion for the first time by 2025 -- that's rising from $37 billion in 2020. They anti...

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...

Blame Netflix, but they're not alone. Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) services continue to disrupt the traditional video entertainment sector in major markets worldwide. In addition, North America has been a proving ground for innovative new offerings. According to the findings from a recent study, North America will have 112 million SVOD subscribers -- that's for movie and TV services only; excluding sports -- by end-2016, which is up by 19 million when compared with 2015. Moreover, the SVOD total is forecast to climb to 138 million by 2021. However, the North America study by Digital TV Research anticipates 117 million TV households in the market by 2021, so the SVOD total will represent 104 percent of all TV households in the region. SVOD Market Development Trends "It is important to stress that these SVOD figures are gross – some homes take more than one SVOD platform, especially in the U.S. market," said Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV R...

While the traditional North American pay-TV industry has yet to respond to market share losses associated with Over-the-Top (OTT) video subscription services, this entertainment phenomenon is now gaining significant momentum in other parts of the world. Parks Associates announced new international data showing OTT video usage in Western Europe is continuing to expand, with 55 percent of UK broadband households and 51 percent in France watching TV programming and movies online -- that's compared to 70 percent in the U.S. market. However, the number of paid subscriptions in Europe is significantly lower, where 30 percent of broadband households in the UK and 17 percent in France subscribe to OTT video -- that's compared to 64 percent of U.S. broadband households. Video Subscription Service Market Development "OTT is definitely gaining traction across Europe. We are seeing new OTT video services spring up but not as many as in North America," said Brett Sappingto...

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...

The video entertainment distribution sector is still evolving. Case in point: the pay-TV operators within North America continue to be challenged during the second quarter of 2015, as significant new subscriber losses pose an ongoing threat to their core business model. The latest market study by Strategy Analytics indicates that the top twenty pay-TV operators in the U.S. -- accounting for more than 95 percent of the total market -- reported subscriber losses of 479,000, while the Pay-TV operators in Canada lost 53,000 customers. According to their assessment, total subscribers among the tracked pay-TV operators in North America declined at the highest rate that they've seen so far. The transition from analogue to digital television platforms hasn't improved the situation. Digital TV subscriptions in the U.S. market fell by 62,000. Moreover, in Canada, digital TV subscriptions declined for the second straight quarter -- with estimated losses totaling 9,000. While subsc...

The ongoing success of open source software subscriptions continues to take a heavy toll on traditional vendors. Application software revenue grew by just 2.7 percent year-to-year for the twenty-three vendors tracked in Technology Business Research (TBR) "Applications Software Vendor Benchmark" study. Growth was supported primarily by subscriptions revenue of 48.9 percent, compared to 48.2 percent in 4Q14, but dragged down by a license revenue decline of 16.6 percent -- that's compared to a decline of 15.7 percent in 4Q14. According to the latest TBR assessment, vendor delivery models continue to shift in line with customer consumption patterns -- driving rapid subscriptions growth as open source cloud-based offerings gain traction, but eroding similar traditionally licensed enterprise software products. "Traditional software vendors must mitigate the impacts of lower revenue per solution as customers select cloud offerings by not only retaining their existing...

Cloud service management is going to become yet one more segment of the legacy enterprise software sector that's being affected by the ongoing adoption of open-source software subscription models. The shift in end-user IT consumption preference to cloud services will trigger disruption and pressures old-school Infrastructure Management (IM) software vendors on two fronts, according to the latest market study by Technology Business Research (TBR). Cloud consumption models rely on subscription revenue. The revenue recognition patterns for subscriptions are in stark contrast to the expensive software vendor license models that include ongoing maintenance support agreements, generally purchased after the first year of deployment. The shift to subscription models negatively impact margins as traditional IM software vendors shift go-to-market and delivery strategies to align with end-user consumption preferences -- and the growing demand for a lower-cost IT operations model. ...

Historically, the Grammys event is an annual celebration of songwriter and performing artist accomplishments during the course of the year. It's not usually an event where copyright reform becomes the focal point, or where honorees air their concerns about the state of the music industry. But times have changed. The transition to digital content production and online streaming distribution has disrupted various parts of the entertainment sector -- with the overall recorded music market still adapting to the big changes that have impacted the prior status-quo. The consumption of music on mobile devices is the key trend to watch. It's a huge market. Strategy Analytics says that the total global mobile music market value will grow from $12.8 billion in 2014 to reach $21.3 billion by 2021. New growth will be driven by the combined effect of the dominance of mobile music streaming -- both paid subscription and ad-funded free listening -- in all markets, the transition from phy...

Most CIOs would prefer to be freed from the ongoing burden and rising cost of managing software license compliance. It's one of the primary reasons why open source software subscriptions -- that don't require traditional licenses -- are so appealing. It's also a key driver of pay-as-you-go cloud service adoption. Forward-looking software vendor executives also acknowledge the apparent shortcomings of the legacy licensing model. Some are choosing to change. Others are stubborn and continue to seek ways to extend the life of an obsolete approach to revenue attainment. Demand for Short-Sighted Software Monetization The three software license management (SLM) functions include defining software versions and licensing rules (development), automating license issuance and invoicing (deployment) and ensuring software is used in accordance with terms of a purchased license (enforcement). The latest global market study by Frost and Sullivan discovered that market participants...

Known as subscriber churn, the loss of a current customer to a competitor is something that all mobile phone service providers would avoid, if at all possible. In the highly competitive industry where a significant segment of subscribers are looking for a better deal, any insight about those most inclined to leave would be valuable. According to the latest market study by Juniper Research, mobile network operators worldwide are set to gain from a significant reduction in subscriber churn through the adoption of Big Data and analytics techniques. What's the incentive? This one particular service provider application will be equivalent to an increase in revenues of almost $4 billion a year by 2018. Juniper found that the implementation of analytics platforms was enabling network operators to anticipate the likelihood of customers to churn, to take preventative action and thereby reduce revenue loss. Analytics Can Identify Priority Subscribers According to the study findi...