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Global STB Market Driven by Satellite Pay-TV

In 2009, more than 100 million satellite pay-TV set-top box (STB) units were sold, which represents more than 50 percent of the total STB market for that year, according to the latest market study by In-Stat.

Cable and digital terrestrial television (DTT) STB shipments each represented slightly over 20 percent of the market, with IPTV only capturing the remaining 7 percent.

Asia is the dominant region, in terms of unit shipments, with nearly half of the worldwide total units shipped in the forth quarter of 2009.

In terms of revenue, North America continues to be the most dominant region, with over $8 billion in STB sales for 2009.

In-Stat's study covers the worldwide market for set-top boxes. This research tracks set top box (STB) unit shipments, revenues and average selling prices (ASPs) on a quarterly basis. The pay-TV operator segmentation includes Cable, Satellite, Telco IPTV, and Digital Terrestrial TV.

In-Stat's latest market study found the following:

- The most significant growth occurred in the sale of high-definition (HD) satellite STB units, with a 68 percent increase from 2008.

- Not surprisingly, the sale of standard-definition DTT units declined the most, year-over-year, by more than 15 percent.

- The total number of STB units with DVR increased by 14 percent in 2009, with the most significant growth coming from the Latin America region.

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