Mixed picture for East European pay-TV
The number of pay-TV subscribers in Eastern Europe is forecast to fall by 8 million from 81 million in the peak year of 2018 to 73 million in 2028.
However, according to the latest report by Digital TV Research, 2018 included 17 million analogue cable subscribers, which will drop to zero by 2027. So, the number of digital pay-TV subscribers will in fact climb by 8 million between 2018 and 2028.
Commenting on the findings of the report, Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “Even without the crisis in Ukraine, tough times continue in Eastern Europe, with poor job prospects forcing many to seek work abroad. This migration married with low birth rates mean that the number of pay-TV subscribers will fall in 18 of the 22 countries covered between 2022 and 2028”.
Russia will lose 4 million pay-TV subscribers between 2022 and 2028 partly as sanctions worsen the economic situation and also due to some analogue cable homes converting to FTA DTT.
