Svod subscriptions, which stands for Subscription video on demand, in English-speaking Africa are growing rapidly, so much so that they are estimated to reach 18 million subscribers by 2029, up from 8 million at the end of 2023.

Digital TV Research, the U.K.-based company that analyzes this sector, confirms Netflix leading this expansion with a projected 7.5 million subscriptions by 2029, followed by Showmax in second place, which will reach 4.4 million paying subscribers, nearly three million more than in 2023.

“The SVoD sector in Anglophone Africa is evolving into a battle between Netflix and local player Showmax. Rich in local content and sports rights, Showmax now has access to NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures and HBO content” says Simon Murray, analyst at Digital TV Research.

Globally, Netflix also leads the way with a total of 277 million customers by 2028, according to Digital TV Research, which has estimated that global SVoD subscriptions will increase by 400 million over the next five years.

Growth is also expected for other platforms: Amazon’s Prime Video will reach 3.1 million subscribers by 2029, followed by Disney+ with 1.5 million and Apple TV+ with 251,000.

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