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Ukraine tops CEE pay-TV growth
Pay-TV subscription revenues will almost double in Ukraine from 2019-2023, according to the findings of a new Futuresource Pay-TV Insights report.

Looking at eight markets in the CEE region – Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Slovenia and Ukraine – it says that pay-TV expansion is being driven primarily by developing markets such as Ukraine. In its case this will be down to subscriber growth, whereas in more saturated markets like Estonia and Hungary revenue growth will come through increased uptake of premium services.

According to Carl Hibbert, associate director of media and entertainment content at Futuresource Consulting, “In Bulgaria, IPTV subscriptions account for a quarter of the market, with 65% of these IPTV subscribers opting for bundled services.

“IPTV is also attracting consumers who demand higher quality services with superior user experiences and HD channels. Availability of HD channels is also set to increase in the region as a result of IPTV uptake and satellite upgrades, and in Ukraine, TV operators are offering HD channels only to pay-TV subscribers.”

The report notes that investments in fibre and 4K UHD connected set-top boxes, operators are also increasing prices to generate ROI, with ARPU rising from €8.12 in 2018 to €8.46 by 2023. This remains substantially lower than Western Europe, which will see ARPUs of €25.26 in 2023.