According to a SNL Kagan report on Latin America’s Pay TV market, its subscriber base has grown at a 10.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the last couple of years. The report also focuses on how the global recession has been present. Among its consequences it’s noteworthy that 7 of the region’s top 10 operators experienced a significantly slower rate of subscriber additions in the first-half 2009, although subscriber declines have been avoided so far.
Latin America Pay TV Subscriber Growth Metrics by Period
As the chart shows comparing Latin America’s operators by total subscriber additions between year-end 2006 and second-quarter 2009, Colombia’s Telmex Colombia leads the pack with 1.8 million additions, followed by Brazil-based Net Serviços de Comunicação S.A. with 1.7 million and Sky Brasil with 856,000. Together, these three operators account for 71% of the total subscriber additions accumulated by the region’s top ten operators during the period.Latin America’s leading operator in terms of subscriber growth is Telmex Colombia, which via acquisitions and organic increases has grown from 140,000 subscribers at the end of 2006 to 2 million subscribers in second-quarter 2009, achieving a 30.2% 10-quarter compound quarterly growth rate (CQGR) and becoming the region’s third-largest operator.
|
|
|
|
|
Subscribers
|
CAGR
|
CQGR
|
||
|
Operator
|
Ultimate-Majority Parent
|
Market
|
Delivery
|
Q1 '09
|
Q2 '09
|
06-08
|
Q4 06-Q 209
|
Q4 06-Q2 09
|
|
Net Serviços Brazil
|
Embratel/Telmex
|
Brazil
|
Cable
|
3,347
|
3,48
|
30.2%
|
6.7%
|
6.5%
|
|
Cablevision Argentina
|
Grupo Clarín
|
Argentina
|
Cable
|
3,029
|
3,063
|
5.9%
|
1.3%
|
0.8%
|
|
Telmex
|
Telmex Internacional
|
Colombia
|
Cable-MMDS
|
1,911
|
1,966
|
262.0%
|
30.2%
|
3.5%
|
|
Sky Brasil
|
DIRECTV Latam
|
Brazil
|
DTH
|
1,715
|
1,725
|
39.5%
|
7.1%
|
1.0%
|
|
Sky Mexico
|
Grupo Televisa
|
Mexico
|
DTH
|
1,528
|
1,527
|
6.8%
|
1.3%
|
0.0%
|
|
Megacable
|
Teleholding SA
|
Mexico
|
Cable
|
1,492
|
1,506
|
33.8%
|
6.2%
|
0.8%
|
|
VTR GlobalCom SA
|
Liberty Global
|
Chile
|
Cable
|
883
|
890
|
4.5%
|
1.0%
|
0.7%
|
|
Cable Mágico
|
Telefónica del Perú
|
Perú
|
Cable-DTH
|
681
|
703
|
8.4%
|
2.4%
|
3.7%
|
|
Intercable
|
HM Capital Partners
|
Venezuela
|
Cable-MMDS
|
605
|
610
|
15.5%
|
3.1%
|
0.8%
|
|
Cablevisión México
|
Grupo Televisa
|
Mexico
|
Cable
|
598
|
605
|
7.7%
|
2.0%
|
2.6%
|
Latin America’s second-fastest-growing operator is also the region’s largest. Brazilian MSO Net Serviços has grown from 1.8 million video subscribers at end-2006 to 3.5 million in second-quarter 2009, achieving a 6.7% CQGR. Fellow Brazilian Net Serviços recorded Latin America’s highest quarterly average subscriber gains for first-half 2009, at 204,500
Mexico’s largest cable MSO, Megacable SA, has grown from 829,000 subs at end-2006 to 1.5 million by second-quarter 2009, a 6.2% 10-quarter CQGR — the fourth-highest among the leading operators. Sky Mexico is the company that has underperformed its regional peers, growing from 1.3 million residential subscribers at end-2006 to 1.5 million at second quarter 2009, a 1.3% CQGR.
