MENA pay-TV revenues set to fall by $1.5BN over next five years

The Middle East and North Africa Pay TV Forecasts report calculated that pay-TV subscriber numbers will fall from 3.70 million to 3.14 million over the same period.

The analyst noted that the region has suffered from widespread piracy and has had to face not only the Saudi government and others banning the beIN channels for four years but is now seeing traditional pay-TV subscribers convert to SVOD platforms.

The research found that pay-TV revenues for 13 Arabic-speaking countries will be $915 million by 2027, down from $1.571 billion in 2016. It added that Turkish pay TV revenues will reach $722 million in 2027; $188 million lower than in 2016. However, the number of pay-TV subscribers will grow from 5.92 million in 2016 to 8.25 million in 2027 meaning subscribers are paying less.

In Israel, cord-cutting is projected to see 46% of pay-TV subs lost between 2014 to 2027. Pay-TV revenues in the country are set to fall from $1.15 billion to $437 million over the same period. Rapid TV News