Mumbai -- Media Partners Asia Ltd (MPA), an information services provider covering media and communications, on Wednesday said in a report that India is the third largest Asian market in terms of Pay-TV penetration, behind Korea and Taiwan.

India has 78% penetration in 2009, which is expected to rise 90% in 2014. MPA projections indicated pay-TV subscribers in India will grow from 105 million in 2009 to 149 million by 2014, and 173 million by 2020.

Cable will retain 70% market share by 2014, falling to 64% by 2020, while DTH will scale up to almost 35% share in the long term. The report also says that India will become the largest DTH market in the world in terms of subscribers by 2012, overtaking the United States.

In 2009, 15% of India's pay-TV homes had at least one set-top box, a number that is expected to grow to 38% by 2014 and almost 50% by 2020 the report said. Cable broadband, a key driver of future cable sector profits, will grow from 850,000 homes in 2009 to 3 million by 2014.Published by HT Syndication with permission from MINT.