International 
. The pay-TV industry is growing globally, both in subscriber numbers and service revenues. In the first quarter of 2011 alone, revenues amounted to $53 billion, about 10% more than the same period in 2010, according to abi Research's latest report.
According to the document, the significant increase in "multi-play" packaging services has been one of the contributing factors to this growth, as they are more attractive, economical and practical for the consumer than separate subscriptions. Additionally, this momentum was represented in larger subscribers on satellite television, cable, terrestrial TV and telecommunications, worldwide.
In the same way, the average revenue per user (ARPU) for different platforms continues to grow. For Khin Sandi Lynn, research analyst at ABI Reseach, "the disconnection from analog has driven an increase in the number of people receiving digital and HD television services, which, in turn, increased the monthly ARPU, generating higher revenues and profits for pay-TV operators." Given this trend, "we expect worldwide revenue from these services to amount to $218 billion by the end of 2011," she added.
Now, in terms of regions, ABI Research states that North America and Western Europe generate higher items for television with restricted access due to the high average income that is recorded per user.
Currently, the third largest share of the market corresponds to Asia Pacific, but it is likely that in the coming years it will surpass Western Europe due to the boost that cable television can generate, especially in countries such as China and India, where there is a high number of these subscribers and there is a potential to increase arpu on account of digital conversion.
