OTT Subscriptions To More Than Double by 2019, Says Parks

Global over-the-top video service subscription revenue will more than double from nearly $9 billion in 2014 to over $19 billion in 2019, said a Parks Research report Thursday. OTT service penetration among broadband households is 57 percent in the U.S. and U.K., 29 percent in Spain and 24 percent in Germany, said Parks. Some 8.4 million U.S. households, roughly 7 percent, subscribe to broadband and at least one OTT video service but not to pay TV, it said. In other Western countries, comparable rates are 4 percent or less, Parks said, and operators are introducing their own OTT services to appeal to consumers. Citing the “rapid rate of change” in the OTT services market, Director-Research Brett Sappington said, “While operator attempts at TV Everywhere have made little impact, OTT video services are experiencing a boom.” New operators entering the market with their own OTT video services include Bell Canada, Dish Network, Rogers Communications and Sky. “How the industry responds to this change will ultimately affect the fundamental structure of the video industry for years to come," Sappington said.