Cable STB market gains from Asian demand

The cable set top box (STB) market has the Asian market to thank for having a solid year. However, given the demand for the cable STB products in Asia was positive, the North American market spelled otherwise. This is according to the latest In-Stat research that reveals a drop in subscriptions and cable TV operators tightening their capital expenditure budgets in the region.

In spite of that, the research stated that the global digital STB unit shipments are on track to top 55 million, down just one percent from 2010 unit shipments. "In-Stat believes that the long-term outlook for the cable STB market is positive," stated Mike Paxton, research director at In-Stat. "Although we are projecting global unit shipments to decrease slightly in 2012 and 2013, the ongoing shift from analog cable services to digital cable services in the developing world will boost demand again in 2014."

The research titled "The Cable Set Top Box Market: Growth Opportunities Shift to Asia" noted that Motorola Mobility continues to be the leading cable STB maker, followed by Cisco Systems. In addition, demand for HD cable STBs continues to be strong. The study also detailed that the total available market (TAM) for semiconductor components in digital cable STBs was about $2.9 billion last year while the total product revenues reached about $6.5 billion.