ABI: Digitization in China, India Driving Asia-Pacific Set-top Box Market
By Jeffrey Hill | July 6, 2012
[Satellite TODAY 07-06-12] A jump in Asia-Pacific cable and satellite set-top box shipments is being driven by cable digitization in India and China, as well as China’s rollout of digital satellite boxes to its rural households, according to a new ABI Research report published July 5.
ABI Practice Director of TV and Video Sam Rosen said that operators in these developing markets are looking for very low costs boxes.
“Digital transitions are bringing consumers access to hundreds of international channels and a few HD services for the first time. Asia-Pacific and Eastern Europe’s growth in set-top box units will outstrip those of the rest of the world in the next 5 years,” Rosen wrote in the report. “China has a robust ecosystem of set-top box manufacturers, coupled with CAS vendors China Digital TV and Sumavision. Meanwhile, India is struggling to enable an ecosystem of local manufacturers, as well as to get adequate supply of boxes to meet an unrealistic digitization timeframe.”