Sub-Saharan Africa will have 16 million paying SVOD subscriptions by 2029, up from seven million at the end of 2023, according to research by Digital TV Research.
South Africa and Nigeria will supply 59% (9.4 million) of the region’s total SVOD subscriptions, Digital TV Research reported.
However, SVOD penetration will still be low by 2029, with only 7.1% of TV households paying for at least one subscription – although this is up from 4.7% at end 2023.
Digital TV Research predicts that Netflix will remain the SVOD market leader, with 6.9 million subscribers by 2029.
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Showmax will be the second largest platform with 3.7 million paying subscribers. Showmax relaunched this week with a brand-new look and new app. This comes after the announcement of the partnership between MultiChoice and international media heavyweight Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky last year.
With its roll-out expected to be limited to South Africa, Disney+ will only have 905,000 subscriptions by 2029.
Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “SVOD is a battle between Netflix and regional player Showmax. Rich in local content and sports rights, Showmax now has access to NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures and HBO content. Showmax’s parent MultiChoice recently rejected a takeover bid from Canal Plus.”
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