Satellite players continue to drive Ecuador's pay TV growth

Satellite TV providers have continued to drive growth in Ecuador's pay TV market in Q2, according to figures released by telecoms superintendency Supertel.

Total pay TV lines in the country grew by 29.9% to 1.10mn in the 12 months through Q2, with satellite accounting for 56.5% of the total subscriber base at the end of June compared to 46.8% at the same point in 2013.

Total satellite lines overtook cable lines in the middle of last year, and are continuing to grow strongly in the market.

Meanwhile, cable TV lines are growing steadily, increasing by 13.9% in the 12 months through Q2 to 434,723.

Satellite player DirecTV maintained its leading market share with 35% of the market, while state telco CNT reached a 20% share with its satellite offering, Supertel said.

A large portion of satellite growth has been accounted for by prepaid subscribers, which reached almost a quarter of a million as of the end of Q2.

It is estimated that around a quarter of Ecuadoran households currently have access to pay TV services, suggesting that there is still considerable room for growth in the market.