Scottsdale, Ariz. — The mature set-top-box market has one bright spot — the IP set-top-box segment — that is expected to grow 14 percent in 2011, surpassing 21 million unit shipments, according to a new report from In-Stat.
“The recent uptick in IP set-top boxes is a result of telcos gaining subscribers from cable and satellite providers, as well as replacing the boxes of current subscribers,” stated Michelle Abraham, research director, In-Stat. “Future increases for IP set-top-box shipments will likely be driven by service providers moving to a server/client architecture where there is a media gateway/server located in the media room of the house that shares its content with client boxes that are distributed throughout the rest of the home. These client boxes will be IP STBs. DirectTV is one of the first providers to offer this service, but In-Stat expects that others will follow over the next few years.”
The report also finds that the IP set-top-box unit shipments in North American are expected to increase by 48 percent in 2012. West Europe will account for 46 percent of worldwide IP set-to-box revenues in 2013.