According to the report, the pay-TV subscriber numbers will also fall from 3.70m to 3.14m over the same period.
Pay-TV revenues for 20 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are set to fall by 38% between the peak year of 2016 ($3.84bn) and 2027 ($2.39bn), according to the latest report by Digital TV Research.
Pay-TV revenues for the 13 Arabic-speaking countries will be $915m by 2027, down from $1,571m in 2016. Meanwhile, pay-TV subscriber numbers will fall from 3.70m to 3.14m over the same period.
Turkish pay-TV revenues will reach $722m in 2027, $188m lower than in 2016. However, the number of pay-TV subscribers will grow from 5.92m in 2016 to 8.25m in 2027 – so subscribers are paying less.
Cord-cutting in Israel will see 46% of its pay-TV subs lost between 2014 to 2027. Pay-TV revenues will fall from $1.15bn to $437m over the same period.
Commenting on the findings of the latest report, Simon Murray, Principal Analyst of Digital TV Research, said: “Pay-TV has never had an easy ride in the MENA region. First was the battle with widespread piracy. Next, the Saudi government and others banned beIN for four years. Traditional pay-TV subscribers are now converting to SVOD platforms.”
