For the first time in nine years, set-top box shipments are likely to show a decline in 2010, reports ScreenDigest, as demand from IPTV, satellite and cable operators plateaus, and the lingering effects of the global recession take their final toll. But, said SD, as the world's economy continues its rebound, look for STB shipments to follow suit in 2011, with operators pressing the digital switchover forward.
A record 127 million STBs were shipped worldwide in 2009, said ScreenDigest, a 3 percent increase from 2008, as manufacturers, lead by Motorola, may hay on the global transition from analog to digital TV. And, although the push continued in 2010, that number is likely to coast downward to 120 million this year. SD also said that despite the increase in shipments in 2009, the value declined and will continue to show a decline this year.
SD said Moto not only saw the most units ship, but also had the highest revenue totals for the year. And, despite the continued rapid growth of pay-TV in China, the top four Western operators combined nonetheless saw more shipments than all of China.
Some additional highlights and forecasts from the SD report:
- North American was still the biggest region for STB shipments
- Shipments to Asia-Pacific will be largest volumes of forecast period
- North America will remain the most valuable market
- HD will drive value growth
- The four biggest vendors took 44% of the market
- 2009 was also the largest year so far for Hybrid STB shipments
- HomePlug is the most widely deployed home networking technology facilitating IP based video distribution around the home
For more:
- see the ScreenDigest website
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