Advanced Television

DTV STB sales surpass 100m

February 22, 2008

Worldwide sales of digital TV set-top boxes broke through the 100 million barrier for the first time in 2007, according to research from Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices service. The report, “Digital TV Set-Top Boxes: Global Market Forecast” found that sales reached 102.4 million units last year, an annual increase of 12 per cent. IPTV’s market share rose to 5.9 per cent, compared to 3.6 per cent in 2006. Cable’s share also rose, to 36.2 per cent, while satellite and terrestrial shares declined.

For 2008 the report predicts a surge in demand for digital terrestrial set-top boxes, driven by the impending switch-off of analogue broadcasting in the US. By 2012 annual global sales of all digital TV set-top boxes will reach nearly 200 million units.

“We expect the Asia-Pacific region to overtake North America and Europe in 2008, accounting for a third of this year’s 129 million sales,” says Peter King, Director, Connected Home Devices. “Sales of digital terrestrial TV boxes in Europe have now plateaued, as consumers begin to transition to integrated digital TV sets, but this pattern is unlikely to prevent overall market growth across all platforms.”

“The set-top box remains the key gateway to advanced digital television services around the world,” says David Mercer, Principal Analyst. “Added value services such as high definition TV, digital video recording and Internet video are all set to drive further growth in this strategically important sector.”

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