Cable TV set top box manufacturers enjoyed a record year in 2006 as cable operators around the world signed up millions of new digital cable subscribers, according to new research from In-Stat.
Fuelled by a sharp rise in demand for cable set top boxes in China, worldwide digital cable set top box unit shipments increased to 27.5 million in 2006, a huge spike in comparison to the 15.6 million units that shipped in 2005, the high-tech market research firm says.
Mike Paxton, In-Stat analyst, said: “In-Stat expects that digital cable set top box unit shipments will again be strong in 2007, led by sustained demand from cable operators in North America and China.
“However, 2007 will also be a year of transition for cable set top box manufacturers as the so-called ‘7-07’ mandate, which effectively ends the integration of security directly into a cable set top box, goes into effect in the US in July.”
The Chinese cable TV market is deploying digital cable set top boxes at a record pace, according to In-Stat. Digital cable set top box unit shipments in China rose from 2.2 million in 2005 to over 9 million in 2006.
Revenues for cable set top boxes also set a new record in 2006 at $4.2 billion, up from $3.1 billion in 2005.
In-Stat added that high-end cable set top boxes continue to be the key market driver for the North American market.
These boxes, such as personal video recorder (PVR)-enabled or HD-capable set top boxes, accounted for over 8 million unit shipments in 2006, up from the 6 million that shipped in 2005.
The results of a recent survey the Association Of Public Television Stations revealed that 17% of Americans are likely to sign up for cable TV service once the US digital switchover commences (see US Households Unaware Of Digital Switchover).
Meanwhile, JupiterResearch published a forecast which said that Freeview was the clear favourite in a choice between pay TV offerings such as cable (see Freeview To Be Digital Switchover Winner).
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