African SVoD subs to triple by 2026


By Content Nigeria reporter
August 27, 2021

News

Subscription video-on-demand (SVoD) is predicted to explode in Africa, with the number of people paying for SVoD subscriptions across the continent set to reach 15.06 million by 2026, according to new research.

UK-based Digital TV Research said this figure is almost triple the 5.11 million SVoD subscribers expected at the end of 2021. South Africa and Nigeria will each contribute 2.3 million out of the 10 million new additions and will be the only countries with more than one million subs in 2026.

Simon Murray

Netflix’s subscribers are expected to double to 5.84 million by 2026 and it will still be the continent’s most popular SVoD service. However, its share of the African SVoD market is predicted to fall to 39% by that year as rival services gain popularity.

US-based Netflix will account for 2.6 million (51%) of the continent’s 5.11 million SVoD subscribers by the end of 2021. Second-place Showmax, part of South Africa’s MultiChoice, is expected to hit 861,000 (17%) by the end of this year. Third-place Amazon Prime Video is expected to hit 575,000 (11%) by the end of this year.

Netflix’s subscribers are expected to double to 5.84 million by 2026 and it will still be the continent’s most popular SVoD service. However, its share of the African SVoD market is predicted to fall to 39% by that year as rival services gain popularity.

Late-to-market Disney+, for example, will start in Africa in 2022 and only in an expected 12 countries but is forecast to amass 2.17 million subscribers by 2026. Amazon Prime Video will see subscriptions grow to 1.9 million in 2026 but it will drop behind Disney+ and Showmax (on 2.1 million) in popularity in 2026.

Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “The selective launch plans from some global platforms work in favour of regional players such as Showmax and MyCanal.”

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