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- ShowMax, iROKOtv to dominate Africa’s SVOD market
Digital TV Research forecasts 9.99 million SVOD subscribers across 35 Sub-Saharan Africa countries by 2023, up from 1.56 million at end-2017 in its latest research report Sub-Saharan Africa OTT TV and Video Forecasts.
Subscription video on demand (SVoD) is a service that gives users unlimited access to a wide range of programs for a monthly flat rate. The rise and spread of SVoD has been driven largely by Africa’s improving internet profile and an increasing access by more people to broadband.
Although massive growth will take place, the Sub-Saharan Africa OTT TV & Video Forecasts report estimates that SVOD revenues will only be $775 million by 2023 as some platforms are very cheap.
South Africa (3.37 million by 2023) will remain the leader, with Nigeria (2.61 million) in second place. South Africa and Nigeria will account for 60% of the region’s SVOD subscribers by 2023 – down from 74% in 2017. So, the rest of the region is growing faster than the two main countries.
The top six platforms accounted for 90% of the region’s SVOD subscribers by end-2017, with this proportion to be retained throughout the forecast period. Despite being relatively expensive, Netflix will account for 40% of the 2023 total (4.03 million subscribers).
In South Africa, ShowMax is at the forefront of the SVOD service market. Funded by Naspers, owners of the MultiChoice pay TV service, ShowMax is available in 55 countries, 28 of these are outside of Africa. iROKOtv has a firm grip of Nigeria’s growing SVOD audience. Originally designed to service the diaspora market, iROKOtv has since redrawn its strategies to firm up its presence in the local market where the Nollywood movie industry thrives. Nigeria is the fastest growing market for SVoD.
Published in June 2018, this 162-page PDF and excel Digital TV Research report covers movie and TV episode developments. It comes in seven parts:
- Executive summary and regional forecasts, with handy comparison tables to reveal the best growth prospects;
- Major SVOD platforms, including market share for each;
- Regional forecasts summary from 2010 to 2023 by platform, by household penetration, by SVOD subscribers, by platform and by OTT revenues;
- Top-line forecasts (population, population per household, households, TV households, fixed broadband homes, smartphone users, tablet users) for 35 countries;
- Country profiles for 35 territories;
- Detailed country forecasts for 35 nations
- NEW FOR 2018: Prospects. Subscriber forecasts for 35 countries in a visually-appealing 73-page document.
To learn more, click here for full details of the Sub-Saharan Africa OTT TV and Video Forecasts report.
