IHS: Pay TV booming in Middle East & North AfricaAccording to IHS Markit, the pay TV market in the Middle East and North Africa is the fastest-growing region in the world, and has surpassed five million households for the first time. Statistics shared by research analyst IHS indicate that the pay TV market in the Middle East and North Africa experienced record growth in 2016 despite the harsh economic climate. “The Middle East and North Africa region is one of the fastest growing regions for pay TV, in both subscriber numbers and revenues,” commented Constantinos Papavassilopoulos, senior analyst at IHS Markit. Subscription services drive growthTotal online video market revenues in the Middle East and North Africa region stood at $500 (£401) million in 2016, a year-on-year growth of 51% from 2015. Subscription accounted for over 30% of the total online video market in 2016, and is expected to contribute 45% of total market revenues by 2020.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 11, 2017 14:48 UTC