Pay TV prices driven down by promotional activity says Strategy Analytics

BOSTON — Strategy Analytics with new comparison of Pay TV service prices as of May 2017, covering 31 of the OECD countries. The average price of the cheapest basic Pay TV package tracked is declining by -1.3% vs. November 2016. This price decline is due to an increase of promotional activity.

The Teligen division of Strategy Analytics has released a new report; “Pay TV prices in OECD countries, May 2017”; also showing significant differences in Pay TV prices even between providers in the same country. The study shows great variation in the structures and underlying technologies of the Pay TV offers, even when benchmarking the most basic offers from each provider.

Strategy Analytics has reviewed the prices and contents of nearly 1900 Pay TV offers for 115 providers in 31 OECD countries, using a methodology established by Strategy Analytics through a number of client studies in recent years. When selecting the most basic set of user requirements, without specific requirements for content or technical capabilities like HD or recording, the ten countries with lowest prices are Poland, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Hungary, Denmark, Austria, Australia, Slovak Republic and Slovenia.

Even among the cheapest offers per country there are Pay TV packages that include more advanced properties like HD and recording. The range of offers may vary significantly between providers. For the most basic requirements the average monthly price across the 31 countries is US$/PPP 21.73 including VAT/tax, down from $22.02 half a year ago. This does not include the TV License fee found in many countries.

Teligen Director Halvor Sannæs says: “Pay TV prices and trends continue to vary significantly by provider and country.” Teligen Benchmarking Consultant Edouard Bouffenie adds: “Pay TV remains a very competitive market with, on one hand, some operators running deep price promotions, introducing stripped down packages with less channels to attract or retain customers, and on the other hand, other operators are offering Pay TV bundled with fixed broadband to provide further technological capabilities adding value to their offers and adapting to new ways of watching TV.”

The report is currently available on the Strategy Analytics website, under the Teligen section. It will be updated regularly.