Digital Satellite STB Unit Shipment Growth to Approach 14% in 2012

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., November 9, 2011 - The worldwide satellite STB market has experienced slow to negative growth in recent years as both the number of subscribers and the conversion from SD to HD has impacted the market. That trend is about to change as new In-Stat (www.in-stat.com) research forecasts that digital satellite STB unit shipments will grow by nearly 14% in 2012.

"New technology in many ways is powering the expected uptick in unit shipments," says Michelle Abraham, Research Director. "Increasingly powerful processors enable a more personalized viewing experience with downloadable apps and recommendation engines. An improved graphics capability also enhances the user experience, providing satellite service providers with a new feature set to compete for subscribers."

New research findings include:

• The Asian market is expected to stabilize, following slow subscriber growth.
  
• In North America, the move to a server/client model impacts shipments because client devices will not all be set top boxes.
  
• The Indian market has experienced huge growth with 6 platforms competing for subscribers.
  
• Pace was once again the top supplier of satellite STBs in 2010 with Technicolor and EchoStar following as was the case in 2009.
  
• SD DVRs will disappear in some markets in favor of HD DVRs, although we expect them to remain in some cost-conscious markets.

Recent In-Stat research, Worldwide Satellite STBs: Gaining Momentum in Emerging Markets (#IN1104959ME), provides five-year forecastsfor the worldwide market for digital satellite set top boxes including:

• Unit, revenue, and ASP forecasts of satellite set top boxes by region and by type through 2015.
• Segmentation of HD and SD, as well as DVR and non-DVR.
• Analysis of new features and technology
• STB bill of materials forecast through 2015.
• Regional market overviews.

This research is part of In-Stat's new Global Pay-TV service which provides combined coverage of set top boxes (STBs) which enable pay-TV operators a gateway into their customers' homes and In-Stat's pay-TV research which provides comprehensive analysis and forecasts of the worldwide market for all types of pay-TV set top boxes, the operators that deploy them, and their subscriber bases.

Related In-Stat research:

Pay-TV Subscribers Database, Q2'11 Results

Set Top Box Database, Q2'11 Results

Worldwide IP Set Top Boxes

For more information, contact:

Michelle Abraham, Principal Analyst
Phone: 480-483-4445
Email: mabraham@in-stat.com

Rick Vogelei, Marketing Manager
Phone: 480-483-4476
Email: rvogelei@in-stat.com

About In-Stat

In-Stat's market intelligence combines technical, market and end-user research and database models to analyze the Mobile Internet and Digital Entertainment ecosystems. Our insights are derived from a deep understanding of technology impacts, nearly 30 years of history in research and consulting, and direct relationships with leading players in each of our core markets. In-Stat provides its research through reports, annual subscriptions, consulting and advisory services to inform critical decisions. Technology vendors, equipment manufacturers, service providers and media companies worldwide rely on In-Stat to support critical business, product and technology decisions.