Market Trends

Pay TV Operators at the Top of the Set-top Box Food Chain

Scottsdale, Ariz., Jun 16, 2014--Pay TV Operators are at the top of the set-top box food chain, with hardware OEMs and semiconductor vendors both functioning in a supporting role. The largest operators are responsible for the functional definition and direction, and have significant ownership over at least the logical layers of the implementation. Multi-source supply agreements, in which operators purchase functionally equivalent units from multiple vendors, are the norm today. Therefore, operators have multiple bids whenever they need to purchase new units.

Tablet Users Prefer OTT Service Apps to TV Apps

Plano, Tex., June 12, 2014--According to new research from The Diffusion Group (TDG), despite the widening availability of ‘TV Everywhere’ services, tablet owners are significantly more likely to use OTT service apps such as Netflix than those offered by both TV networks and operators. Almost half (48%) of adult tablet owners report using OTT video apps on occasion, compared with 37% that use broadcast network apps, 31% that use cable network apps, and 23% that use TV operator apps.

European Pay TV Revenues Flatten in 2014

London, UK, June 11. 2014--European pay TV revenues will reach US$ 40.35 billion in 2014, up from US$ 36.87 billion  in 2010, according to a new report from Digital TV Research. The European Digital TV Databook (covering 39 countries) reveals that the 2014 total will only  increase by 0.6% on 2013 as ARPUs are hit by competition and the transition of  subscribers to double-play and triple-play bundles (which result in higher overall ARPUs for operators but lower TV ARPUs). 

Nearly 20% of U.S. Broadband households have a Streaming Media Player

Dallas, Tex., June 11, 2014--New research from Parks Associates reports that usage of Google Chromecasts appears to be decliningwhile adoption of streaming media players has increased to nearly 20% of U.S. broadband households, up from 14% in 2012.

US Still the Global Leader in Space Competitiveness but Continues Seven-Year Decline

Bethesda, MD, June 10, 2014--According to Futron's newly released report entitled: "2014 Space Competitiveness Index: A Comparative Analysis of How Countries Invest in and Benefit from Space Industry," the US continues its leadership in global space competitiveness but declines for the seventh straight year.

Nearly 50% of U.S. Households Have At Least One TV Connected to the Internet

Durham, NHJune 9, 2014 -- New consumer research from Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) finds that 49% of all US households have at least one television set connected to the Internet via a video game system, Blu-ray player, smart TV set, and/or stand-alone device (like Roku, Apple TV, or Google Chromecast) -- up from 38% in 2012, and 24% in 2010. Overall, 24% of adults watch video from the Internet via a connected TV at least weekly, compared to 13% two years ago, and 5% four years ago.

Cord Cutting Proclivities Remain Unchanged Among Adult Broadband Users


Plano, Tex., June 6, 2014--Despite the fact that US incumbent pay-TV operators enjoyed a small net subscriber gain in Q1 2014 — a reversal of recent quarterly trends — the reality is that today’s pay-TV subscribers are just as inclined to cancel their service today as they have been since 2011. Today, 15% of adult broadband users that subscribe to a legacy cable, satellite, or telco pay-TV service are to varying degrees likely to cancel their service in the next six months. This is virtually unchanged during the last four years, despite the growing use of alternate video sources and the increasing cost of legacy pay-TV services.

Mobile Internet Usage to Increase at Twice the Global Rate in 5 years in Sub-Saharan Africa

Cape Town, South Africa, June 4, 2014-- Ericsson today revealed the scale of the Africa's ongoing data revolution with traffic growth doubling the past year. The June 2014 Sub-Saharan Africa Ericsson Mobility Report shows that in 2014 phone users accessed 76,000 TB (terabyte) of data per month, double the 2013  figure of 37,500 TB per month. In 2015 the figures are expected to double again with mobile phone users accessing 147,000 TB per month.

OTT and Multiscreen TV Drive Spending on Broadcast and Streaming Video Equipment

Campbell, Calif., June 4, 2014—Market research firm Infonetics Research released excerpts from its latest Broadcast and Streaming Video Equipment and Pay TV Subscribers report, which tracks pay-TV subscribers and video equipment sold to telco IPTV, cable, and satellite TV providers.

Asia to Dominate Satellite Backhaul Market with 27% of Global Revenue

Wilmington, DE & London, UK –June 4, 2014 – NSR’s newly released Wireless Backhaul, Trunking and Video Offload via Satellite, 8th Edition finds the Asian region dominating the wireless backhaul, trunking and video offload market on an annualized basis, leading to over 27% of cumulative global revenues from 2013-2023. The large user base, the topographic challenges and key markets that include Australia, China, India and Indonesia are key elements favoring satellite usage compared to other regions.