IMS Research sees a bright future for over-the-top (OTT) services and forecasts that 2.1 billion devices will ship globally, including a forecasted 592 million fixed entertainment devices like TV sets and game consoles.
In a recent IMS study, “Convergence in Home Entertainment and Portable CE Markets,” the research firm also forecasts that nearly 2 billion portable consumer electronics, such as smart phones and tablets, and 268 million home network devices, such as residential gateways, will ship.
“More intelligent connected CE products that offer increased processing power present an immense opportunity for OTT service providers. Their eagerness in working with CE suppliers and a variety of platforms outside of the PC creates a challenge for specialized OTT device suppliers, such as Roku and Boxee,” said IMS Research principal analyst Anna Hunt.
As a result of this competition, stand-alone, OTT box shipments will stagnate this year and next, eventually decreasing to 5 million units shipped in 2015, according to the research firm.
