Pay TV operators purchased US$ 15.3 billion worth of set-top boxes (STBs) in 2014, down from US$ 15.9 billion in 2013. This decline represents the first contraction in the market since 2002, according to IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), the leading global source of critical information and insight. Shipments of pay TV STBs grew slightly in 2014 to 204.7 million units, an increase of just under 1 percent from 203.1 million units in the previous year; however, such modest shipment growth failed to compensate for the effects of price erosion in this highly competitive market.