News Analysis

Scottsdale, Ariz., October 19, 2011--Hybrid set-top boxes are rapidly being deployed by pay-TV operators worldwide to help them deliver advanced services and manage bandwidth scarcity in broadcast networks, according to a recent report by ABI Research. In 2010, only 40% of set-top boxes worldwide featured hybrid capabilities, with many not yet enabled by software as operators were not ready to deploy IP video services. Hybrid box penetration will rise above 60% by 2016 as operators look at IP-based video on demand (VOD) and advertising solutions, as well as interactive content. Hybrid set-top boxes have the ability to decode video sent over the Internet or over two types of networks (such as satellite and terrestrial).

Boston, MA - October 18, 2011 – The number of homes using the internet to watch television shows and movies on the TV screen has reached more than 42 million across the US and Europe, according to the latest research from Strategy Analytics’ Connected Home Devices (CHD) service. The report, “Multiscreen Connected TV: Assessing Device Usage and Ownership,” bases its findings on a survey of 4800 respondents.

New York City, October 13, 2011- American consumers are increasingly connected and are increasingly multitasking when it comes to multimedia.  Roughly 40 percent of tablet and smartphone owners in the U.S. used their devices daily while watching TV, while only 14 percent of eReader owners said they watched TV while using their device every day, according to a recent survey by Nielsen.

New NSR Report Forecasts EO Market to Grow to $10.5 Billion over Next Decade

Cambridge, Mass., October 6, 2011--NSR’s Global Satellite-Based Earth Observation, 3rd Edition, released today, indicates that last year the global Earth Observation (EO) market grew by 9% and is set to grow to $10.5 billion by 2020.  “Despite uncertainty created by the current budget crisis and financial debt of many countries, and the fact that a privately-funded EO operator recently went bankrupt, EO satellite operators have been growing their revenues lately,” said Claude Rousseau, Senior Analyst for NSR and report author.

Dallas, TX, October 3, 2011--The number of U.S. consumers planning to purchase a smart TV has nearly doubled in less than a year, according to new consumer research from Parks Associates. The firm's Consumer Decision Process: Summer Update reports more than 10% of broadband households plan to purchase a smart TV in the second half of 2011, up from 6% in the first half. These households, representing 50% of the nearly one-fourth of U.S. broadband households planning to purchase a flat-panel TV, anticipate an average cost of $1,000 for the smart TV, defined as an HDTV with built-in Internet access capability.

by NSR

Cambridge, Mass.,  September 29, 2011- When EADS Astrium announced on August 1 they had purchased Vizada Networks for $960 million, the satellite world was puzzled: why would a satellite manufacturer and mostly government-focused fixed satellite service (FSS) provider buy a mobility centric-business like Vizada? With the Global Xpress contract for three Inmarsat-5 satellites going to rival Boeing, is this deal a way for EADS to get back ‘lost’ revenues? As economic conditions continue to be mediocre at best, is EADS just looking to diversify revenue streams? Whatever the motivation, the EADS acquisition of Vizada Networks begins the saber rattling in the next battle of Ka-band mobility.

Dulles, VA, September 28,2011--U.S. Space LLC completed a $291,159 study of feasible acquisition alternatives to satisfy military satellite communications needs that was contracted by the United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Military Satellite Communications Directorate. The U.S. Space study identified and examined alternative approaches to the existing military satellite acquisition model and recommended alterations that will enable faster, more cost-effective, and more efficient solutions to meet U.S. Government needs.

London, UK, September 27, 2011--The Broadband and IPTV Growth Report presented at the Broadband World Forum in Paris, shows that broadband continued to show healthy growth in the first half of 2011. Prepared for the Broadband Forum by industry analysts Point Topic, the figures reveal the broadband subscriber total at the end of June 2011 is now standing at 557.8 million subscriber lines, up by over 29M lines since the start of this year. The second quarter outperformed the same period last year, continuing the trend of stronger growth set in the first quarter’s results announced in June. The good news in broadband was compounded with the news that IPTV has passed a milestone: 51M customers now subscribe to IPTV services worldwide, with France in the lead as top IPTV country.