The number of IPTV subscriber numbers will exceed cable TV in 2026, according to UK analysts Digital TV Research.
IPTV will add 63 million subscribers between 2021 and 2026, taking the total 398 million.
Cable, on the other hand, will see subscriber numbers fall from 417 million to 389 million over the same period.
“The main reason for this is China where the huge shift from cable TV to IPTV will continue,” said Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research.
China will have 226 million IPTV subscribers by 2026, up by 19 million from 2021.
However, China will lose 39 million cable TV subscribers during the same period to end 2026 with 89 million subscribers.
Digital TV Research forecasts 13 million more pay TV subscribers between 2021 and 2026 to take the global total to 1.01 billion.
China will continue to supply nearly a third of the world’s pay TV subscribers, with 315 million expected by end-2026. India will bring in another 178 million.
Between them, China and India will together provide half the world’s pay TV subscribers by 2026.
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