LATAM pay-TV to expand pre-paid models


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Gabriel Miramar-Garcia

| 19 May 2016




Latin America’s pay-TV operators are reviewing pre-paid strategies as a tool for growth, according to Dataxis.



latamThe research firm found that pre-paid DTH subscribers in Latin America reached the 10.77 million mark at the end of 2015The firm projects that this figure will rise to 19.48 million by 2021, representing 45.6% of total DTH subs in the region.

Mexico and Venezuela were the countries with the largest DTH base at the end of 2015, accounting for 51.4% and 21% of total pre-paid clients, respectively.

The pre-paid offer is mostly oriented toward the unbanked customer. But Dataxis said that there’s room to expand that focus, especially if operators move towards offering stripped-down plans, as is happening in Brazil and Mexico. Pre-paid pairs naturally with lower cost offerings.

Dataxis also said that by and large, operators are not including HD channels in their pre-paid plans. And only some companies are offering premium channels or the option to access a second set-top-box (STB). But, that’s changing too: the firm said that by 2018, HD technology will be extended to pre-paid, opening the door for new models.