Set Tops Not Dead Yet…
Set-top box sales continue to rise, with worldwide shipments set to hit “record highs” in the next 3 years, despite the pay-TV industry’s growing focus on delivering content over the Internet, according to IHS.
The research firm estimated that global shipments will grow 6% YOY to 286 million next year with 2015 representing the peak of the market. Ironically, the growth of multiscreen will help the set-top market during the next few years, as ops offer multimedia home gateway set-tops that can deliver content across platforms, supporting “the operator-as-an-app model,” it said. In addition, IHS speculated that in mature markets where pay-TV digitization is complete or nearly finished, the transition to HD and MHG set-tops will “help to sustain volumes and increase revenue” in the next few years.
The firm predicted that 2014 will be the 1st year when more than 50% of pay-TV boxes shipped globally can support HD.