The introduction of ‘skinny bundles’ with very limited number of channels is driving the minimum price down in select countries such as Canada and Denmark.
The Teligen division of Strategy Analytics has released a new report, Pay-TV prices in OECD countries, November 2016, showing significant differences in pay-TV prices even between providers in the same country. The study also shows great variation in the structures and underlying technologies of the pay-TV offers, even when benchmarking the most basic offers from each provider.
Strategy Analytics has reviewed the prices and contents of nearly 1,900 pay-TV offers for 115 providers in 31 of the OECD countries, using a methodology established by Strategy Analytics through a number of client studies in recent years. When selecting the most basic set of user requirements, without specific requirements for content or technical capabilities like HD or recording, the ten countries with lowest prices are Poland, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Estonia, Austria, Denmark, Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Mexico.
Even among the cheapest offers per country there are pay-TV packages that include more advanced properties like HD and recording. The range of offers may vary significantly between countries. For the most basic requirements the average monthly price across the 31 countries is US$/PPP 21.41 including VAT/tax. This does not include the TV licence fee found in many countries.
“Pay-TV prices and trends continue to vary significantly by provider and country,” said Teligen director Halvor Sannæs.
Teligen benchmarking consultant Edouard Bouffenie added, “For example, we continue to see a trend towards “skinny bundles” (basic package with a very limited number of channels) and pick-and-mix offers in countries where pay-TV market is more mature, and where providers are concerned about the growing trend of ‘cord-cutters’, particularly the younger consumers who are increasingly watching content through OTT services such as Netflix”.