Grasshopper
10-04-2007, 01:08 PM
The hybrid set-top box market, although still in its relative infancy, is being forecast to account for more than 25 percent of worldwide unit shipments in 2012. New research suggests that the growth in the global market will translate into nearly $2.9 billion in manufacturer revenues.
According to IMS Research, leading satellite TV operators' strategies to position themselves against cable and the telcos will result in satellite hybrid set-tops accounting for a 76 percent share of all hybrid units shipped across the planet in 2012.
The research firm's new 'Hybrid Set-top Box Developments and the Impact of Other Hybrid Equipment' study says that major operators worldwide, particularly on satellite and IPTV platforms, are quickly transitioning to hybrid STBs as competition for a triple-play offering intensifies. IMS also says competition from non-traditional content providers and service aggregators is affecting traditional pay-TV providers as well.
"Over the next five years, many companies will be focusing to seamlessly move PC-based video content or integrate internet-delivered video services into the home entertainment center," says Anna Hunt, IMS research director and the report's author. "As a result, traditional pay-TV operators are exploring new business models, including rollout of new services and more content via hybrid STBs, in order to strengthen their position in the digital TV market."
The report says other key drivers behind hybrid STB rollouts include: TV operators' ability to reclaim bandwidth for premium content by deploying a hybrid box; and diverse "must carry" regulation and varied rebroadcasting rights set by terrestrial broadcasters.
According to IMS Research, leading satellite TV operators' strategies to position themselves against cable and the telcos will result in satellite hybrid set-tops accounting for a 76 percent share of all hybrid units shipped across the planet in 2012.
The research firm's new 'Hybrid Set-top Box Developments and the Impact of Other Hybrid Equipment' study says that major operators worldwide, particularly on satellite and IPTV platforms, are quickly transitioning to hybrid STBs as competition for a triple-play offering intensifies. IMS also says competition from non-traditional content providers and service aggregators is affecting traditional pay-TV providers as well.
"Over the next five years, many companies will be focusing to seamlessly move PC-based video content or integrate internet-delivered video services into the home entertainment center," says Anna Hunt, IMS research director and the report's author. "As a result, traditional pay-TV operators are exploring new business models, including rollout of new services and more content via hybrid STBs, in order to strengthen their position in the digital TV market."
The report says other key drivers behind hybrid STB rollouts include: TV operators' ability to reclaim bandwidth for premium content by deploying a hybrid box; and diverse "must carry" regulation and varied rebroadcasting rights set by terrestrial broadcasters.