Access to the internet via a set-top box, whilst still relatively unusual at present, is set to grow from 6.9 million units to over 74 million in the US by 2005, according to research from Cahners In-Stat Group published in September.
The research firm projects that, as broadband penetration rates and consumer requests for iTV services increase, the market will experience an overall five-year compound annual growth rate of 60.8%. This forecast comes as separate research from Jupiter Media Metrix predicts a surge in US broadband internet access take-up (see
Forecasts).
“Each segment of the market is attempting to find the best combination of hardware and software to provide added value to consumers and drive demand,” says In-Stat analyst Cindy Wolf.
In-Stat says that digital cable boxes offer the most realistic method of internet access in the North American market because the network is already in place to provide high-speed data.
