Global set-top shipments stable in face of competition

Jack Wetherill

Global set-top box shipments remained relatively stable last year despite competition from new devices and platforms, with the overall set-top market valued at US$20 billion (€15 billion), according to research by Futuresource Consulting.

According to senior market analyst Jack Wetherill, the average selling price of set-tops was US$74 and pricess ranged from under US$30 to over US$300.

Emerging markets accounted for around 70% of global demand in units, with the Asia Pacific market making up 44% of this. However, emerging markets’ value accounted for less than 60% of the total, thanks to relatively lower price points in these markets.

Wetherill said that HD set-tops represented 53% of worldwide shipments in 2013, and will rise to over 95% of worldwide shipments in 2018. HD boxes account for 95% of shipments in North America but only 28% in Latin America and 35% in the Middle East and Africa. DVR boxes accounted for 16% of the total shipments in 2013, but represented 40% of market value. Multimedia home gateway units accounted for five million units in 2013.

According to Futuresource, HEVC chipsets are likely to account for over 60% of the global market by 2018, but this growth will be driven more by the overall efficiencies offered by the technology than by growth in 4K TV, which is likely to remain a niche product for the next few years.