Demand for Cable Set Top Boxes Remains Solid in 2011

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The cable set top box market is having a solid year in 2011, primarily due to robust demand for digital cable set top box products in Asia. In contrast, North American cable set top box unit shipments are decreasing, largely due to the declining number of cable TV subscriber households, combined with cable TV operators tightening their capital expenditure budgets. New In-Stat research reports that global digital set top box unit shipments are on track to exceed 55 million, down just 1% from 2010 unit shipments.

“In-Stat believes that the long-term outlook for the cable set top box market is positive,” says Mike Paxton, Research Director. “Although we are projecting global unit shipments to decrease slightly in 2012 and 2013, the ongoing shift from analog cable services to digital cable services in the developing world will boost demand again in 2014.”

New research by In-Stat reveals the following:

• Motorola Mobility continues to be the leading cable set top box manufacturer, followed by Cisco Systems.
• Demand for high-definition (HD) cable set top boxes continues to be strong. In 2011, almost 11 million HD cable set top boxes will ship worldwide.
• The total available market (TAM) for semiconductor components in digital cable set top boxes is forecast to be $2.9 billion in 2011.
• Total digital cable set top box product revenues are projected to reach $6.5 billion in 2011.

Recent In-Stat research, The Cable Set Top Box Market: Growth Opportunities Shift to Asia (#IN1104963ME), covers the market for cable TV set top boxes, with special emphasis on product manufacturers, technology trends, and the semiconductor content of the boxes. It also provides a digital cable set top box bill of materials forecast, digital cable set top box manufacturer market shares, and updates worldwide unit shipment and revenue forecasts through 2015. The report also:

• Examines manufacturer cable set top box product margins by type of cable set top box
• Identifies and describes digital cable set top box models by specific manufacturer
• Discusses market and product development trends such as the development of media gateways and the potential “virtualization” of the cable set top box
• Profiles leading cable set top box manufacturers, to include: Advanced Digital Broadcast (ADB), ARRIS, ChangHong, Cisco Systems, Coship, DVN Holdings, EchoStar, HUMAX, Jiuzhou, Motorola, Pace plc, Panasonic, Samsung, Skyworth, and Technicolor

This research is part of NPD In-Stat’s Global Pay-TV service, which provides comprehensive analysis and forecasts of the worldwide market for all types of pay-TV set top boxes, the operators that deploy them, and their subscriber bases.