Streaming becomes Pay TV 2.0—revenue crown flips in 2025
Citing Omdia’s 2025 trends report, the article forecasts that global streaming video revenue will surpass pay-TV revenue in 2025 ($213B vs. $188B). It highlights a shift toward ad-supported tiers, sports, and bundling among major US streaming services, projecting 818M combined paid subscriptions for Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+, Prime Video, and Max, with ~30% on ad tiers. The report also notes India is expected to differ, with pay-TV forecast to remain the dominant revenue sector through the late 2020s while streaming partnerships and ad-driven models expand.
Key Takeaways
- Omdia projects global streaming revenue at $213B in 2025, surpassing pay TV at $188B.
- The “big five” US streamers are forecast to reach 818M paid subscriptions globally, with ~30% (~250M) on ad-supported tiers.
- Omdia frames 2025 as the year of streaming “linearisation”: more sports, tighter packaging, and TV-like pricing/distribution mechanics.
- Standalone DTC expansion is expected to slow in newer markets; global services are more likely to launch via local partners (pay-TV operators and streamers).
- India diverges: pay TV is forecast to stay the top revenue sector into the late 2020s, while ad-dependent streaming scales through partnerships.
Why It Matters
The market’s new north star isn’t subscriber growth—it’s monetization density. As ad tiers normalize and sports/bundles pull streaming toward “pay TV 2.0,” the competitive battleground shifts to ad yield, measurement, and distribution leverage (OS, telcos, MVPDs, app stores). For executives and investors, the implication is blunt: the winning product will be packaged, discounted, and ad-monetized—less a single app, more a portfolio. And for India, the playbook tilts even further toward partnerships and advertising, reinforcing that “global strategy” now means regional operating models.
StreamingMeme Analysis
Infrastructure and rights buyers should plan as if streaming is already the primary distribution layer globally—pay-TV decline changes CDN, SSAI, and customer-care priorities.
StreamingMeme’s take: “overtake” headlines are confirmation, not surprise. The hard work is profitable delivery at pay-TV reliability.
Pair with the $176B revenue milestone and hybrid profit shift for the financial side of the same transition.
Read full article at business-standard.com
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