The global Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) set-top box market is poised to surpass $1 billion due to the analogue signal cutoff date of Feb. 17, 2009 in the US, and prospects of a large Chinese market, according to In-Stat.
As DTT markets mature, the company forecasts that the growth in uptake of DTT tuners will continue, aided primarily by increased consumption for second and third TVs.
“The prospects of turning off analogue terrestrial broadcasts, coupled with ongoing marketing campaigns, are powerful motivating factors for consumers to adopt the digital platform,” says Michael Inouye, In-Stat analyst.
Recent research from the company has revealed that Europe continues to lead DTT, and could see significant digital penetration as analogue cut-offs continue and commence.
The company also found that while HDTV, in the near term, will likely remain a niche market in most countries, events like the 2008 Olympics and a larger HDTV installed base could help spur its adoption.
In November, the Leichtman Research Group (LGR) revealed that one in six households in the US now has at least one high definition capable television, which indicated a quick increase from about one out of every fourteen households just two years ago (see One In Six US Households Has HDTV).
In October, IMS Research predicted that world-wide DTT was expected to more than triple over the next five years, from an estimated 37 million households in 2006 to 131 million households by the end of 2011, with growth driven primarily in Western Europe (see Global DTT Expected to Treble).
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