OTT to reach nearly half the world’s TV households by 2020

The number of households watching online TV and video (over fixed broadband networks and across 51 countries) will reach 706.53 million in 2020, up from 196.90 million in 2010 and the 374.43 million expected in 2014, according to a new report from Digital TV Research.

Asia Pacific will gain 231 million more OTT TV homes between 2013 and 2020 – or 61% of the global additions over the same period, according to the Global Online TV & Video Household Forecasts report. China alone will add 140 million, taking its 2020 total to 206 million – or more than the whole of Europe. China will overtake the US in 2014 to take top slot.

By 2020, 47.6% of the world’s TV households will view online television and video, up from 15.4% in 2010. South Korea (79.8%) will have the highest proportion by country by 2020, with India (21.9%) at the other end of the scale.

Digital TV Research forecasts 199 million SVOD (subscription video on demand) subscribers by 2020, up from 21 million in 2010 and an expected 83 million by end-2014. North America’s share of the total will fall from 80% in 2010 to 57% in 2014 and onto 34% in 2020 – revealing how much the sector will grow outside the US. However, the US will contribute 62 million of the 2020 total, with second-placed Japan (20 million) some way behind.

By 2020, 13.4% of the world’s TV households will subscribe to SVOD package, up from only 1.6% in 2010 and an expected 6.1% by end-2014. The proportion in 2020 will vary from 49.6% in the US and 48.5% in Sweden to 2.0% in India and Vietnam. Ten countries will have SVOD penetration in excess of a third of TV households by 2020.