Australia - Pay TV, Free-to-Air TV - Statistics and Analysis

Australia - Pay TV, Free-to-Air TV - Statistics and Analysis

Although there has been steady growth in subscription TV services into 2015, in coming years customer viewing on the platform will have been greatly changed following the launch of services by OTT providers such as Presto, Stan and Netflix as well as SVoD options being marketed by FTA broadcasters.

Although FOXTEL has seen steady revenue growth during the last few years the company has struggled to increase pay TV penetration in Australia. The market into 2016 has also seen the launch of competing OTT platforms, including FOXTEL's own Presto TV services as well as Stan and Netflix. These offer competitively priced basic packages, commonly below A$10 per month, play to consumers' desire to view content at a time of their choosing. Although linear TV in early 2015 was still adopted by about 88% of Australian households, the figure is falling gradually, and the advent of OTT viewing as well as IPTV offers from Telstra and other major ISPs will see a more rapid shift from liner to time-shifted TV in coming years.

The FTA broadcasters as well as marketers and advertisers who need a return on investments are watching the available content options. The distribution advantage held by FOXTEL is slipping away as the NBN becomes built out over a greater number of premises, so expanding the reach of capable broadband infrastructure which enables subscribers to access OTT and IPTV content.

Following the end of analogue broadcasting, Australians have been able to access many more Free-to-Air TV channels as digital broadcasts. Although there are more channels available, the number of viewing hours has remained relatively stable for a number of years, and as a result individual channels, and particularly specific shows, have seen declining viewer numbers. Viewing habits have also been affected by the advent of catch-up TV services, which have been made available from the main broadcasters for two to three years. In addition, the launch of subscription video services from operators such as Presto, Stan and Netflix will further erode liner TV viewing as subscribers choose instead to watch programs at a time of their choosing.

These changing market conditions are impacting both the FTA and subscription TV industries. The FTA channels are counting on the use of Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) technology, which allows viewers to watch catch-up TV direct on the TV set using FreeviewPlus.

This report provides a range of statistics on Australia's pay TV market, including subscriber numbers, ARPU and penetration rates. It also provides forecasts for subscription TV uptake based on anticipated market trends over coming years.

Key developments:

Smart TV, pay TV, digital TV, subscription television, FTA TV, subscribers, penetration, additional subscription streams for subscribers, ARPU, revenue.

Companies covered in this report include:

AUSTAR, FOXTEL, Optus, TransACT, SelecTV, Telstra, TV Plus, FetchTV, Presto TV, Stan, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), Seven West, Nine Entertainment, TEN, Free TV.