Korean pay-TV revenues set for continued growth
Editor
| 22 December 2020
While similar markets in other countries struggle in the face of growing cord-cutting, in Korea the pay-TV services market is looking up and is projected to be worth US$7.2 billion in 2025 says a study from GlobalData.

KT South Korea Total Pay TV 22Dec2020This says GlobalData’s South Korea Telecom Operators Country Intelligence Report would represent compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.5% between 2020 and 2025, mainly driven by the subscription growth in IPTV service and growth in overall pay-TV average revenue per user (ARPU). The IPTV subscriber base is forecast to grow at the fastest CAGR of 2.6% to reach an estimated 19.8 million subscriptions by 2025-end. Cable TV and DTH services subscriptions, on the other hand, are expected to decline over the forecast period.

In terms of players, South Korea’s largest telecommunications provider, KT Corporation is set to lead the pay-TV market and will account for an estimated 31.7% share of the total pay-TV subscriptions in 2020. The operator is set to maintain its leadership in pay-TV segment given its monopoly in DTH segment and strong foothold in the IPTV segment, where it will likely hold a 41% share of the total IPTV subscriptions by the end of 2020.