Australian Telecom Industry – Pay TV and Free-To-Air TV Under Growing Threat from Video-on-Demand

The global streaming revolution is gathering pace. The Internet now rivals broadcast TV as a vehicle to deliver consumer content. Their shift in user behaviour continues to drive change in the TV and media industries, prompting a move away from old formats and business models and ushering in an era of high-quality, on-demand entertainment.

Streaming is closing in on broadcast TV. A rapid increase in the rate of adoption of SVOD is occurring where high-quality broadband is already available. The NBN is accelerating this trend and as the mass deployment of high quality broadband takes place via it there will be a significant decrease in the cost of SVOD.

Netflix has emerged as the SVOD dominant operator, but both Stan and Presto have built up a significant customer base, and both have the substantial financial resources of their backers at their disposal. With such a large number national and international players competing consolidation is starting to take place. Quickflix has been forced to exit the market, followed by Foxtel’s Presto service later on in the same year.

FOXTEL during the last few years has struggled to increase pay TV penetration in Australia. Viewing habits have also been affected by the advent of catch-up TV services, which are available from the main broadcasters. In addition, subscription video services from VOD operators such as Stan and Netflix are further eroding live TV viewing as subscribers choose instead to watch programs at a time of their choosing.

Also the distribution advantage held by FOXTEL is slipping away as the NBN becomes built out over a greater number of premises, so expanding the reach of capable broadband infrastructure which enables subscribers to access OTT and IPTV content. These changing market conditions are impacting both the FTA and pay TV industries.

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The broadcasters have been late entering the market: their focus has been on protecting their traditional business which are under threat from declining revenues, rather than establishing a strong foothold in the SVOD market.

Amongst the existing pay TV and free-to-air subscriptions there will be increased pressure on profitability as competition for content pushes up the cost of licensing.

Key Developments

• Netflix has emerged as the SVOD dominant operator, but both Stan and Presto have built up a significant customer base.
• FOXTEL during the last few years has struggled to increase pay TV penetration in Australia.
• The rate of SVOD growth moving into 2019 will begin to taper off and eventually level off in around five years’ time in 2023.

Key companies mentioned in this report:

Telstra, Optus, FetchTV, Bigpond, Google, Apple, ABC, Netflix, Foxtel, NBN Co, Hulu, Stan, AUSTAR, FOXTEL, TransACT, SelecTV, Telstra, TV Plus, Presto TV, Stan, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), Seven West, Nine Entertainment, TEN, Free TV.