According to the latest figures from ABI Research, global pay-TV service revenue totaled $55.5 billion during the third quarter of 2010, approximately a 9% increase from the same period in 2009.   Currently more than half of global telco TV service revenues come from Western Europe where telco TV penetration is already quite high, and net subscriber additions in the region are expected to slow due to that penetration. The result: telco TV’s market share in terms of subscriber numbers and service revenue is expected to decline in Western Europe in the coming years.

Despite the difficulties faced to date, the timing is ripe for mobile video services to take off in certain Asia-Pacific markets due to the enhanced capability of the networks, increasing popularity and affordability of smartphones, and improvements in the mobile video business, according to a new report from Pyramid Research.

In the third quarter of 2010, net subscriber additions in the global pay-TV market increased 2% over 2Q-2010 according to ABI Research’s recent pay-TV market data.   “The global number of pay-TV subscribers reached 692 million in the third quarter of 2010,” says ABI Research practice director Jason Blackwell. “Pay-TV subscriber growth is holding steady in a number of world regions.”

The composition of the connected home will shift dramatically in the next five years, with connected consumer electronics and mobile devices (mainly smartphones and tablet computers) comprising 80% of the seven billion connected nodes worldwide by 2015.  “The number of connected home nodes worldwide will grow to more than seven billion by year-end 2015,” said Kurt Scherf, VP, principal analyst, Parks Associates.

Defense and security requirements will continue to drive the commercial EO data market for the next decade, but the growing commercialization of the industry and the data needs of emerging EO nations and private enterprise will also fuel revenue growth in the sector, according to Euroconsult.

The worldwide market for digital set-top boxes - including hard-to-track free-to-air (FTA) satellite (DBS) boxes - will grow from 205 million in 2010 to 226 million in 2015. Shipments in North America and Western Europe are falling following largely successful digital transitions, while Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Eastern Europe all see significant growth. Set-top boxes in China will grow at nearly 10% per year (CAGR).

The 3D TV market will spend the next couple of years establishing itself and accumulating a base of content and devices (both TVs and Blu-ray players). In 2013, according to ABI Research, market growth will start to accelerate, and shipments of 3D TV sets will approach 50 million in 2015.

“The 3D TV market is moving faster than expected,” notes industry analyst Michael Inouye. “There was widespread skepticism that production models would be available so quickly. But by June this year many TV manufacturers had 3D models in their lineups. Most 3D TVs will be Internet-connected.”

The in-flight broadband market has achieved a remarkable revival over the past several years. Plane deployments have skyrocketed from just 25 aircraft in 2008 to an expected 2,000 commercial aircraft by the end of 2010. While the installed base of aircraft is approaching a critical mass, the viability of in-flight broadband will be tested over the next year, according to a new report by Research and Markets.

by NSR

Cambridge, MA, September 20, 2010-In 2010, the UN-HABITAT’s report, State of the World Cities 2010/2011: Bridging the Urban Divide found that the global population has reached its tipping point, a condition where populations are more urban than rural. Today, 50.6% live in urban areas, and the trend is irreversible. Increased urban populations may be taking away a vital market for satellite backhaul.

Since satellite backhaul is really a proposition for rural and underserved areas, population trends initially do not appear to favor satellite

Broadband has taken a significant step forward as the number of subscriber lines passed the 500 million mark in July 2010.  The milestone was revealed as the Broadband Forum provided its global Broadband and IPTV Industry Update at its quarterly meeting in Hong Kong today. Research by industry analysts Point Topic (http://www.point-topic.com) pinpointed the actual date as being in the third week in July and the Broadband Forum will mark the occasion with a Milestone Celebration later this week.