News Analysis

Brazilian Pay TV Subscribers Grew 14.5% in the first half of 2012

Brasilia, Brazil, July 24, 2012--During the first half of 2012 subscribers to pay TV services in Brazil grew 14.5% compared to the same period last year, totaling 14.5 million subscribers, according to the Brazilina National Telecommunications Agency ANATEL (Agencia Nacional de Telecomunicaciones).

Full text available to subscribers only

Mobile Integration Key to 57 Million Smart Set-Top Box Market

Scottsdale, Ariz., July 20, 2012--Smart set-top boxes often garner less attention than other connected CE devices like TVs and game consoles – Apple has referred to its Apple TV as a “hobby” although it leads the market with around 4 million units shipped through 2011. Roku has had recent success (e.g. passing 2.5M units in 2011), but the future looks at the very least challenging for these dedicated streaming devices to break out of a niche status. TVs, game consoles, Blu-ray players, and even mobile devices are quickly conspiring to engender a very competitive market for the digital living room. Even so, set-top box shipments are expected to reach as high as 57 million by 2017.

Full text available to subscribers only

Game Changers: HTS and O3b to Disrupt Wireless Backhaul via Satellite Market

New NSR Report Forecasts Significant Satellite-Based Backhaul Growth over Next Decade


Cambridge, Mass. July 17, 2012 - NSR's newly released Wireless Backhaul via Satellite, 6th Edition finds a dramatic long term shift from legacy SCPC and TDMA systems to High Throughput Satellites (HTS) and O3b. The market shift brings threats, as well as opportunities, for market players involved in space segment capacity and end-to-end services along with companies in the equipment segment. The global satellite backhaul market is expected to reach $2.3 billion in 2021, growing almost three-fold from today’s $800 million annual revenue base.

Full text available to subscribers only

Euroconsult Sees a Turning Point for FSS Operators

Market characterized by innovative capital investments, emergence of new players, and diverging performances

Paris, France, July 12, 2012 –Euroconsult announced the findings of its most recent study of fixed satellite services. The report entitled "Company Profiles, Analysis of FSS Operators," now in its 5th edition, indicates that regional operators in particular continued to see strong business growth from various applications including DTH TV broadcasting, cellular backhaul and enterprise networks. Many of these regional operators are continuing their ambitious expansion plans with growing satellite fleets and a number of satellite launches still ahead in the coming years.

Full text available to subscribers only

Cisco-NDS and Google-Motorola Acquisitions Upend TV Middleware Market

Scottsdale, Ariz., July 10, 2012--The TV middleware market, long led by Nagra (25% worldwide 2011 market share) and NDS (24%) worldwide and Motorola (19%) and Cisco (11%) in North America, is in a massive state of upheaval as Cisco’s bid for NDS waits to close, (it is expected in early August 2012) while Google has yet to give a clear direction for its recently acquired Motorola Home business unit. “Operators are reluctant to significantly change direction with the current uncertainty, except where they decide to bring middleware development in-house,” according to Sam Rosen, practice director, TV & video at ABI Research.

Full text available to subscribers only

In Satellite Contracts, What You Do Not Know Can Hurt You

by Robert Bell

New York City, July 9, 2012--Satellite capacity is a uniquely valuable asset.  It can do some things, like broadcasting one signal to millions of destinations, better and cheaper than any other technology.  But it is also a scarce asset, thanks to the laws of physics and the skilled yield management of the operators that fly spacecraft in Earth orbit. 

87% of US Households Still Subscribe to a Multichannel Video Service

Durham, NH, July 5, 2012 -- New consumer research from Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) finds that 87% of households nationwide subscribe to some form of multi-channel video service. The percentage of households that subscribe to a multi-channel video service is similar to the past two years, and up from 80% in 2004.

Full text available to subscribers only

Cable Still King of Pay-TV, but Satellite and IPTV Poised for Takeover

Campbell, Calif., June 25, 2012--Market research firm Infonetics Research released excerpts from its latest Pay-TV Services and Subscribers report, which forecasts and analyzes the telco Internet protocol television (IPTV), cable video, and satellite video services markets. “Cable video still makes up over half of the global pay-TV market, but revenue growth is decelerating due to a slowdown in new subscribers, especially in the lucrative North American market, as competition from satellite and IPTV operators intensifies and as OTT offerings from Netflix, Hulu, and others siphon away a small, but growing number of households,” notes Jeff Heynen, directing analyst for broadband access and video at Infonetics Research.

Full text available to subscribers only

Smart TV Surges in Popularity Worldwide

Santa Clara, Calif., June 12, 2012—Over one‑quarter of TVs shipped during Q1’12 were equipped with internet connectivity, as reported in the new NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Smart TV Shipment and Forecast Report, which tracks connected and smart TV shipments by brand, region, display technology and screen size. Approximately 27% of TV sets shipped worldwide had internet connectivity, led by Japan, where 46% of sets had networking capability, and Western Europe with 36%. In a good example of how internet entertainment is developing rapidly in emerging markets, China followed closely behind Western Europe with 32% of sets that shipped having internet functionality.

Full text available to subscribers only

How Multi-Screen Consumers Are Changing Media Dynamics

Reston,VA,  June 12, 2012 – comScore, Inc. and the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) today released a research white paper entitled How Multi-Screen Consumers Are Changing Media Dynamics, revealing several new findings about the viewing habits of consumers who engage with media brands across multiple touchpoints.

Full text available to subscribers only