Market Trends

Washington, D.C., August 2, 2013--The trend toward obtaining video and audio content via the Internet, and bypassing programming offered by traditional cable and satellite providers, is advancing more quickly than previously believed because of a sea-change in the viewing habits of younger consumers, according to a study commissioned by the Fiber to the Home (FTTH) Council Americas.

Arlington, Va., July 30, 2013-– New research released today from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) ^® found that just seven percent of American TV households rely solely on an antenna for their television programming. The findings of the new study, U.S. Household Television Usage Update, are consistent with CEA’s 2010 research which found eight percent of TV households reported using an antenna only for television programming.

Scottsdale, Ariz, July 25, 2013--Worldwide digital cable set-top box (STB) unit shipments increased by 10% in 2012 and are expected to continue to increase modestly in 2013. This market continued to be led by Motorola (now part of ARRIS) who shipped more than 11 million units in 2012, acoording to Multimedia Research Group (MRG).

Panama City, Panama, July 25, 2013 – Investment in the Latin American telecoms industry grew significantly between 2008 and 2011, as key countries acknowledge that growth in this sector can improve the economy by promoting new and innovative ways of doing business.

London, UK, July  24, 2013--Covering 97 countries, the number of homes receiving DTT signals will more than  double between 2013 and 2018 – by reaching 553 million, according to a new report from Digital TV Research. The Digital Terrestrial TV Forecasts report expects  the number of primary DTT homes (those not subscribing to cable, IPTV or satellite  TV and using DTT on their main set) will also double over the same period – to 380  million in 2018.

Madrid, Spain, July 24, 2013 — Pay-TV subscribers in Spain have dropped for the fifth straight quarter in the first three months of this year. Data published by the regulator Telecommunications Market Commission (CMT) indicated that pay-TV platforms only had 3,926,844 customers as of the end of March, compared to 4,077,101 three months earlier, and 4,369,849 as of March 31, 2012. The latest figures are pay-TV platforms’ lowest since third quarter of 2009.

Dallas, Tex., July 23, 2013--New research from Parks Associates shows consumers are developing preferences for TV-content apps as more smartphone and tablet users are using TV-channel apps from networks like MTV, Nickelodeon, and USA Network and apps for shows like Glee and The Walking Dead. The firm finds 14% of smartphone/tablet users surveyed in the first quarter of  2013 have recently used a TV-content app and nearly 75% of these users are satisfied with this app experience.

Amman, Jordan, July 23, 2013--The Arab Advisors Group released the results of its Cellular Competition Intensity Index 2013 in July 2013. The index ranks Saudi Arabia as the most competitive Arab cellular market for the third consecutive year. Jordan came in second, followed by Palestine.

Campbell, Calif., July 22, 2013--Market research firm Infonetics Research released excerpts from its new Pay TV Subscriber Database, which tracks the cable video, satellite video and telco IPTV subscribers of over 140 service providers around the world. The next edition will be published August 5. 

Santa Clara, Calif., July 22, 2013-- After two years of declining TV shipments for Brazil, the 2014 World Cup is expected to support a double-digit rise in shipments, according to the Quarterly Brazil TV Shipment and Forecast ReportNPD DisplaySearch. Q1’13 TV shipments for Brazil declined 11% from a year ago to 2.1M and the forecast is for shipments in 2013 to decline 2% Y/Y. The World Cup will be the first of several boosts to the industry over the next few years, with shipments rising 18% in 2014, as the World Cup begins. The final transition from analog to digital TV broadcasts in Brazil by the end of 2016 will also keep demand from falling in 2015 and, in conjunction with the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, will slightly increase demand in 2016.