[Satellite TODAY Insider 10-30-11] Asia continues to be a market on the rise with the number of multi-channel homes now close to half a billion. In its latest study, CASBAA says there are now 446 million multi-channel homes and that there is now a 57 percent penetration of all TV homes in the region.
   The growth numbers in the region remain impressive. In the last 12 months, the number of multi-channel TV homes in Asia has grown by just under 40 million according to CASBAA. Such is the growth in Asia, around 53 percent of global multi-channel homes are now found in Asia, according to CASBAA.
   The numbers are of little surprise, especially given the rate of growth in markets such as India and Indonesia which have seen strong take-up of pay-TV, particularly over satellite over recent years. In India, DTH operators like Dish TV, which now has over ten million subscribers, grow subscriber numbers at a fast rate. Other DTH providers such as Tata Sky, Airtel have also seen strong take-up of DTH services. Satellite underpins these services. Rajiv Khattir, President, Special Projects for Dish TV, says, “Satellite will remain an important part of Asian pay-TV growth. With the geography here being so diverse and Internet penetration being low, satellite offers an opportunity for fast, low cost deployment of pay-TV distribution.”
   The growth numbers continue to be on the increase. Vivek Couto, President, Media Partners Asia, says, “In India, DTH continues to grow. The growth last year was lower than before. I think the active subscriber base is around 29 million. It is growing at around 6-7 million a year.”
   While a lot of focus has been on India, other markets are also seeing exciting growth in pay-TV such as Indonesia and Vietnam. Simon Twiston-Davies, CEO, CASBAA says, “The CASBAA membership roster increasingly reflects the growing importance of emerging markets such as Vietnam, which saw a 74 percent pay-TV growth between 2009 and 2011, and Myanmar, where the TV advertising market has been growing at 49 percent per annum over the last few years.”