Middle-East ends Q1 2014 with 6 million pay TV subscribers

According to Dataxis, at the end of March 2014 there were 6 million pay TV subscribers in the Middle East, up from 5.05 million at the same date in 2013, an increase of 18.73%.

The largest market segment was satellite which claimed 4.0 million of the total, up 24% year-on-year. All established segments grew over the period except for basic cable where the subscriber number fell by just over 6%.

Middle East pay TV subscribers

                                  End-March
                 --------------------------   Y-o-Y
                         2013          2014  Growth
                 ------------  ------------  ------
Total            5.05 million     6 million  18.73%
 Satellite        3.2 million     4 million     24%
  Satellite HD    1.7 million   2.3 million   31.8%
 Basic Cable          928,000       872,000  -6.03%                
 IPTV                 898,450  1.12 million  25.52%

Source: Dataxis via NexTV Africa Middle East