Global STB shipments to hit record high this year

Multimedia Research Group (MRG) has released its latest forecast on the worldwide set-top box market, revealing that 2012 will see a record high for global STB shipments.

Demand for digital STB products is rising, particularly in Asia, Latin America, and a number of countries in Europe.  Mike Paxton, Senior Analyst at MRG explains “The expansion of pay-TV services in developing markets, along with the ongoing shift from standard-definition products to HD products in developed markets, is fueling market demand.”

Key findings from the study include:
- MRG projects that the annual growth rate for unit shipments of digital STBs in 2012 will exceed 15 per cent.
- Total worldwide unit shipments will end the year at 250 million, a new record high.
- Significant challenges to the STB market exist.  Foremost among these is the potential “virtualisation” of the STB.  Virtualisation could shift the functionality of the STB into a software platform or even the Internet cloud.  However, MRG believes these challenges will not have a material impact on the market for another three to five years.