A. Guttmann
Research Lead covering media
Subscription video-on-demand in Latin America - statistics & facts
In Latin America, subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) is at the same time an established and yet developing industry. Between 2019 and 2021, the number of users of this type of service in that region increased by over 40 percent, surpassing 60 million in the latter year. The growth was forecast to continue, with SVOD subscribers in Latin America adding up to 139 million by 2027. In many of the most populated countries in the subcontinent, close to one-third of consumers subscribed to at least two video streaming services in 2021. The exception was Brazil and Mexico, where the share stood closer to 25 percent, indicating that there is still room for a more varied video-on-demand (VOD) repertoire. This potential diversification is both a result of and a reaction to the performance of Netflix in Latin America. The leader and benchmark of this segment made global and native rivals incorporate the region into their strategies.
The clash of the streaming titans
Plenty of platforms fight for the attention of viewers in the region. As of March 2021, all Latin American countries with more than 30 million inhabitants had at least 33 streaming services available. In even larger markets like Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina, there were more than 40. As a result, forecasts suggest a relative decline in Netflix’s market share in the near future. Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ are projected to flourish and, together, account for over one-third of the SVOD paid accounts in the region by 2026. The competition became even stiffer with the arrival of HBO Max to the subcontinent in late June 2021. By default, millions of subscribers of HBO’s pay-TV channels throughout 39 countries and territories in Latin America started to have access to its new streaming offerings. What is more, it is expected that the service will be the third largest SVOD platform in Latin America in 2027, based on revenueA telenovela-worthy comeback
Local players also joined the race for SVoD subscribers. Globoplay combines original content with hit Brazilian telenovelas from the past decade. Between January 2020 and January 2021, its number of subscribers grew by 650 percent worldwide. The platform, available in Brazil and the United States, planned to reach Europe soon. Claro Video –released by Mexico City-based América Móvil in 2013– is forecast to see some 3.7 million subscribers across dozens of countries in 2025. But the biggest native response to Netflix has recently popped-up on the horizon. In April 2021, the largest TV company in Mexico, Televisa, announced a 4.8-billion U.S. dollar content merger with Univision, a Spanish-language TV network headquartered in New York. As a result of the deal a major streaming platform for Spanish-speaking viewers in the Americas was created - ViX. How that could remodel SVOD in the region and handle the largest Latin American market –Portuguese-speaking Brazil– is yet to be seen.
