On the occasion of UN World Television Day, ITU research shows that the world has witnessed a massive shift from analogue to digital television, with over 55 per cent of households with a TV now receiving a digital signal compared with just 30 per cent in 2008, according to new data from our flagship annual report Measuring the Information Society 2013.

MRG expects revenues for total transcoders to reach just over US$ 490 million by 2017 as the live portion of the total continues to account for higher revenues.  Many live transcoders are bought by pay-TV providers who are offering multiscreen services out of fear of OTT providers undermining their business. They are spending money without generating additional revenue or improving margins.

The latest Ericsson Mobility Report reveals that mobile subscriptions are expected to reach 9.3 billion by 2019, and more than 60 percent of these - 5.6 billion - will be for smartphones. To support the smartphone user experience, WCDMA/HSPA networks are predicted to cover 90 percent of the world's population by 2019. Moreover, almost two-thirds (65 percent) of the world's population will be covered by 4G/LTE networks.  

Currently, smartphones represent 25-30 percent of all mobile phone subscriptions, yet they account for the majority (55 percent) of mobile phones sold in Q3.

Asia-Pacific, notably, China, is expected to lead 4K (or Ultra HD) TV unit shipments. However, the North American market is anticipated to be the first region to eclipse 5% (in 2017) and 10% (by end of 2018) of TV households. Despite limited 4K content, declining 4K TV prices will facilitate the expansion of the installed base through normal upgrade cycles.

NSR's new report  SCADA/M2M via Satellite, 4th Edition finds a steady market for narrowband systems despite the industry’s seeming shift into higher bandwidth solutions, specifically High Throughput Satellites (HTS). In 2012, revenues stood at $1.1 billion with narrowband systems accounting for 87% of the global total. By 2022, the market is expected to reach $2.0 billion with narrowband systems improving slightly, accounting for 88% of the revenue base.

MRG expects the OTT SVOD market to record significant growth worldwide in the coming years, reaching nearly US$8 billion on more than 120 million subscribers globally by 2017.

Consumers these days demand a personalized viewing experience and a large variety of content selection. OTT services, allowing for multiscreen viewing options, are well suited to fulfill these expectations. The ever increasing penetration of smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and other connected devices, worldwide, are further augmenting the demand for OTT services.

Market research firm Infonetics Research released excerpts from its 2nd quarter 2013 (2Q13) Set-Top Boxes and Pay TV Subscribers market share and forecast report, which tracks IP, cable, satellite, and digital terrestrial (DTT) set-top boxes (STBs) and over-the-top (OTT) media servers.

“There are real unit shipment declines occurring in North America and Western Europe that won’t be offset by growth in Asia Pacific and Latin America until 2014.”

Leading hi-tech mobile analysts Juniper Research estimates that the number of smartphone shipments exceeded a quarterly record of 250 million in Q3 2013, representing a y-o-y growth of almost 49% from Q3 2012, and q-o-q growth of 10%. Samsung now accounts for a third of all smartphones shipped with an estimated 85 million smartphones – a record for the company. The company reported a 26% growth in profit, driven by an increase of smartphone sales in both Premium and Economy segments.

(Oct. 28, 2013)—The bad news for the television market is that nearly three-quarters of U.S. consumers are not interested in buying a smart TV during the next 12 months, according to the results of a new survey conducted by the TV Systems Intelligence Service at IHS Inc.. The good news is that demand rises markedly when consumers are aware of what smart TVs are, showing that the product’s chances of success can improve with just a little market education.

The global market for connectable set-top boxes (STBs) is expected to surge by 91 percent from 2012 through 2017, driven by a number of factors including the adoption of multimedia home gateways (MHGs).