FTA satellite in 18% of TV households worldwide

FTA satellite distribution now at 18% of worldwide TV households

Following latest research conducted by Dataxis, 314 million of TV households received TV signal via Free-to-Air satellite which represents 18% of the worldwide TV households. FTA satellite distribution is becoming more and more important and Dataxis forecasts that this ratio will reach 20% in 2021.

The penetration rate for FTA DTH varies from regions, for instance, it is almost inexistent in North America. Moreover, FTA DTH distribution in Latin America is limited to Brazil with 21% of the TV households.

On the other hand, in Europe, FTA DTH distribution depends on the countries: Germany leads with 34% of the TV households, followed by Ukraine with 26%, Ireland with 16% and Italy with 15%.

In the Middle-East (including Turkey), DTH satellite distribution is the most common way to receive TV and 65% of TV households receive TV via FTA DTH. In this region, there is a wide offer of free channels (more than 1000) which are distributed via FTA DTH. Consequently, there is no room for the development of DTT distribution.

According to Dataxis, FTA satellite distribution is important in Asia, with 64% of the TV households in Thailand, followed by Japan with 37%, China with 25% and India amounts to 12%. In China, there is a governmental program for isolated zones that explains the importance of FTA DTH in the region.

Dataxis predicts that the most important potential growth for satellite distribution will be in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this region, very few households have TV set and satellite has an important role to play in the ongoing digitalisation process.