The regional SVOD penetration will remain low, with only 7.7% of African TV households paying for at least one subscription by 2029.
The African subscription video on demand (SVOD) landscape is poised for significant expansion in the upcoming years, projecting a surge to 1m paying SVOD subscriptions by 2029, a notable increase from the 8m reported at the end of 2023, according to the latest report by Digital TV Research.
Despite this rapid trajectory, SVOD adoption is expected to remain relatively low, with merely 7.7% of television households opting to pay for at least one subscription by the year 2029.
Commenting on the findings of the report, Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “The SVOD sector in Anglophone Africa is evolving into a battle between Netflix and local player Showmax. Rich in local content and sports rights, Showmax now has access to NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures and HBO content.”
Forecasts predicted Netflix to assert its dominance in the market, amassing approximately 7.55m subscribers by 2029, marking a noteworthy addition of 3.4m from the end of 2023.
The runner-up, Showmax, owned by South African pay TV provider MultiChoice, is anticipated to achieve 4.4m paying subscribers by 2029, a gain of nearly 3m subscribers in comparison to its 2023 figures.
