The value of the set-top box market remained stable in 2013, despite the perceived rise of Smart TVs and Digital Media Adaptors.
In a new report, The Global Set-Top-Box Market Update Report, Futuresource Consulting have valued the market at $20 billion (€14.91bn).
“In 2013, the STB market trade value totalled $20 billion with an ASP (average selling price) of $74 and prices ranging from less than $30 to more than $300,” says Jack Wetherill, Senior Market Analyst at Futuresource Consulting.
Emerging markets accounted for around 70% of global demand in units, with the Asia Pacific market making up 44% of this global demand. Emerging markets’ value accounted for less than 60% as many of these countries have a relatively low price point for STBs.
“HD STBs represented 53% of worldwide shipments in 2013, and moving forward this will rise to over 95% of worldwide shipments in 2018,” says Wetherill. “However, there is a great disparity between regions in the adoption of HD. HD STBs already account for 95% of shipments in North America, whereas LatAm and MEA are at 28% and 35% respectively.
Personal Video Recorders (PVRs), also referred to as DVRs, comprised 16% of total shipments in 2013 which equated to 40% of value, and will peak in 2015. North America and Western Europe have a 69% combined share of the global volumes.
According to Futuresource, MHG (Multimedia Home Gateway) totalled five million units in 2013 and growth will continue throughout the forecast period with North America accounting for the majority of volumes, driven by Whole Home DVR.
HEVC chipsets will emerge in volume in 2015 and will grow to account for more than 60% of the global market by 2018, as the HEVC offers improved bandwidth efficiency to allow more HD channels. However, UHD (4K) services are expected to remain niche for several years due to lack of clear business model.
Looking further ahead to 2018,the outlook is relatively stable, with growth in developing markets largely compensating for decline in North America and Western Europe.
