Global SVOD subscriptions to grow to 1.5 billion by 2026

SVOD subscriptions to reach 1.5 billion by 2026

SVOD subscriptions for 138 countries will increase by 591 million between 2020 and 2026 to reach 1,495 million – or up by 65%. The peak year was 2020 when 201 million subscriptions were added. The total will cross the 1 billion mark in 2021.

SVOD subscriptions growth is faster than for SVOD subscribers [an SVOD subscriber pays for at least one SVOD subscription]. This means that the average SVOD subscriber will pay for 2.14 SVOD subscriptions by 2026 – up from 1.74 in 2020.

Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “There will be 700 million SVOD subscribers by 2026; up by 35% from 518 million at end-2020. The 2026 total represents 39% of TV households, increasing from 30% in 2020.”

The US will overtake China as the subscription leader in 2021. China and the US will together account for 48% of the global total by 2026; down from 59% in 2020. This indicates that other countries are growing faster. SVOD subscriptions in India will nearly triple between 2020 and 2026 to 155 million – representing 10% of the world’s total.