Netflix Is Available In More Than 300M Global Pay-TV Households, Report Estimates

Dade Hayes

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Netflix is available in more than 300 million pay-TV households worldwide, according to a new report from UK research firm Ampere Analysis.

More than 50 million of those have come during 2019, the report said, with Western Europe powering much of the growth. In North America, Netflix is available in about 86% of all pay-TV homes.

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The global subscriber tally for the streaming leader stood at 158 million as of the end of September. That number relative to the reach in 300 million-plus homes underscores the fact that not everyone who can subscribe to Netflix actually does. Even so, the integration of the streaming service into the systems of major pay-TV providers makes it easier for subscribers to hop onboard.

With the pay-TV universe in secular decline and direct consumer relationships now the coin of the realm in the entertainment business, the pay-TV footprint will become less important over time. But for now, it remains an important shortcut for streaming services. Disney and WarnerMedia are in talks with distributors about integrating their new subscription services into pay-TV offerings. NBCUniversal’s Peacock, meanwhile, is planning to take full advantage of parent Comcast’s large cable and satellite subscriber base when it launches next spring.

Outside of the Western Hemisphere, Netflix remains in a preliminary stage of adoption. Ampere’s report found the company had availability in about one-quarter of pay TV households in the Middle East and North Africa at the end of 2018, driven by its regional partnership with operator OSN. But OSN ended the partnership in August 2019, leaving Israel as the only market in the region with existing deals.

Central and South America, Asia Pacific and Central and Eastern Europe are blank canvases for Netflix. Excluding China, they have around 400 million pay-TV subscribers, while Netflix has availability to about 40 million of those. India is another crucial territory, especially given the interest in it shown by rivals like Amazon. Fewer than 1% of all pay-TV households in India subscribe to Netflix, compared with a U.S. ratio closer to two out of three.

“These onboarding deals give Netflix pay TV reach in every region bar SubSaharan Africa, while the Western European pay TV market has shown the most rapid growth for these deals,” the report said.

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