Pace was the world’s number one seller of set-top boxes, in terms of unit shipments, during 2010, according to new research from IHS Screen Digest.
Saltaire-based Pace overtook Motorola following a 21.1% increase in shipments in 2010 to 20.7 million units, up from 17.1 million in 2009. Motorola’s shipments rose only 4.2 percent to 19 million units, up from 18.2 million in 2009.
This is the first time that Screen Digest has recorded Pace in the number one position, though IMS Research had named them as market leader in its 2009 survey.
“Pace’s strong unit shipment growth in 2010 mostly was driven by huge growth in cable shipments to both North and South America,” said IHS Screen Digest analyst Tom Morrod. “Pace has been voraciously taking market share from U.S. incumbents with high-volume deals such as selling boxes to Comcast. The company also fostered new big-volume customers like Net Servicios in Brazil.”
However, despite the strong growth in shipments, Motorola maintained the lead in terms of set-top box revenue. Motorola’s STB revenue came in at $2.4 billion (€1.69 billion) in 2010, down 9.5% from $2.7 billion in 2009. Pace’s revenue rose to $1.9 billion, up 8.1% from $1.7 billion in 2009.
The US brands Motorola and Cisco have been able to command average sales prices some 60% higher than their European counterparts Pace and Technicolor. All four saw their average sales prices decline by between 2 and 12% in 2010.
“The US STB makers command higher ASPs for their STBs than their European rivals because they tend to have more established relationships with the high-volume, advanced cable operators in the Unites States. Both Cisco and Motorola benefit from high ASPs associated with Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) boxes, an area that they dominate,” Morrod said.
Earlier this week Pace issued a profits warning, blaming a combination of factors, which included difficulties within the supply chain.
