KT Embracing HCN Solidifies No.1 Position with 35.6% Paid Broadcasting Market Share

Ministry of Science and ICT Announces Paid Broadcasting Statistics for Second Half of Last Year
Paid Broadcasting Telecommunications 3 Companies Hold 85.9% Market Share

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] In the second half of last year, KT Group, the leading paid broadcasting operator, expanded its market share to 35.58% through the acquisition of HCN. The combined market share of the three major telecom companies also reached 85.9%.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 18th that the number of paid broadcasting subscribers in the second half of last year, based on the market share calculation criteria, was 35,637,342 (6-month average). The increase compared to the first half of 2021 was 529,973, similar to the increase in the first half of last year (524,040).

By operator, KT had 8,396,249 subscribers (23.56%), SK Broadband (IPTV) 6,042,627 (16.96%), LG Uplus 5,250,779 (14.73%), LG HelloVision 3,776,740 (10.60%), KT Skylife 3,020,224 (8.47%), and SK Broadband (SO) 2,874,745 (8.07%).

The combined market share of the three telecom affiliates was 85.94%, up 3.99 percentage points from 81.95% in the first half of last year. KT Group (including HCN and KT Skylife) saw its market share increase by 3.68% to 35.58%, influenced by the acquisition of HCN at the end of September last year. LG Uplus Group (including LG HelloVision) rose slightly by 0.05 percentage points to 25.33%, and SK Broadband Group (including SO) increased by 0.26 percentage points to 25.03%.

By media type, the number of subscribers was 19,689,655 (55.25%) for IPTV, 12,927,463 (36.28%) for SO, and 3,020,224 (8.47%) for satellite broadcasting. Since November 2017, IPTV subscribers have continuously increased, surpassing SO subscribers, and by the end of last year, the gap widened to approximately 6.76 million.

Meanwhile, based on operator-submitted data, the total number of paid broadcasting subscribers as of the end of last year was 36,459,267. This figure includes 36,578 free subscribers for non-commercial purposes, 155,655 subscribers in exceptional areas, and 1,325,468 users through contracts for maintenance of shared broadcasting reception facilities.