Worldwide digital cable set-top box (STB) unit shipments increased by 10% in 2012 and are expected to continue to increase modestly in 2013. This market continued to be led by Motorola (now part of ARRIS) who shipped more than 11 million units in 2012, acoording to Multimedia Research Group (MRG).

Covering 97 countries, the number of homes receiving DTT signals will more than  double between 2013 and 2018 – by reaching 553 million, according to a new report from Digital TV Research. The Digital Terrestrial TV Forecasts report expects  the number of primary DTT homes (those not subscribing to cable, IPTV or satellite  TV and using DTT on their main set) will also double over the same period – to 380  million in 2018.

Latest research from Futuresource predicts that global 4KTV shipments will grow from just 62,000 units last year to 780,000 in 2013 and 22 million units in 2017. The reports adds that the local  4K content and increased consumer awareness will help boost sales from 2015 onwards.

Futuresource also expects most global TV brands to launch a range of 4KTVs by the end of this year, with North America seen as the leading market due a recovering economy and strong consumer demand for large screens.

In the second half of 2012, the number of cellular machine-to-machine (M2M) connections reported by China Mobile had increased by nearly 5.5 million. That’s as many as the UK had in total at the end of last year. This outstanding growth has helped to propel China forward to become the single largest national market in terms of connections, having now overtaken the US.

Despite the pay-TV industry’s increasing focus on delivering services to alternative devices like PCs, smartphones and tablets, its traditional flagship platform-- the set-top box (STB)—continues to thrive, with market shipments set to hit record highs in 2013, 2014 and 2015, according to the latest IHS Set-Top Box Monitor report.

The pay-TV market in India is expected to reach 167 million subscribers in 2017 from 140 million in 2012, showing a 3.6% CAGR during this period, according to a new report by Multimedia Research Group (MRG). DTH, alone, is expected to reach 100 million subscribers by 2017. Following digitization, it will surpass cable TV penetration, which comprised 67% of the pay-TV market share in 2012.

The IPTV subscriber base, however, is expected to remain negligible owing to unfavorable government norms and regulations.

According to Euroconsult's newly released research report,Company Profiles: Analysis of FSS Operators, 86% of all 37 active commercial FSS operators saw revenue growth in 2012, with 13 operators reaching 10% or more. However, approximately half of the operators experienced slower revenue growth than the previous year.

Innovation is critical to telco survival, finds Ovum. Yet many operators miss the big picture, exaggerate the threat from over-the-top (OTT) players, and misunderstand the broader benefits of innovation. New research from the global analyst firm examined more than 3,500 new service launches since 2009, finding that telcos must compete less and collaborate more.

A new study by Juniper Research investigating the Mobile TV & Video market has found that by 2017, revenues from streaming and download services on mobile and tablet devices will reach US$ 9.5 billion, up from US$ 4.5bn this year. This will be as a result of the maturation of the market for streaming subscription services and pay-per-title content, which will see new business models develop for smartphone and tablet users.

Personalization & A Multi-Screen Ecosystem

NSR’s 6th installation of Global Direct-to-Home (DTH) Markets, analyzes a rapidly changing industry that is diverging from one with growth centered around North America and Western Europe to one where growth will come from the developing parts of the world.