The number of households worldwide with HDTV service delivered via satellite, cable TV, IPTV and over the air will grow to 255 million by the end of 2013, up from an estimated 45 million as of the end of last year, according to a new study from IMS Research.
The study, “The Worldwide Market for High-Definition TV Equipment & Services – 2008 Edition,” also forecasts that the Blu-ray Disc market will experience strong growth during the next five years, particularly as Blu-ray Disc drives in new PCs become more common, reaching a forecast $46 billion in revenues in 2013. (Editor’s note: For a contrarian view, see “Consumers appear lukewarm on Blu-player purchases, says ABI Research.”)
Direct-to-home satellite remains the leading platform for HD service uptake because of the platform’s rapid transition from analog to digital households and the greater availability of HD programming, said Shane Walker, research analyst and author of the study.
IMS Research forecasts the number of DTH HD households to grow 27.5 percent annually to 97 million by the end of 2012. Skewing the numbers is the fact that 62 percent of cable customers worldwide are in the Asia-Pacific region where there’s been a slow conversion from analog to digital service, he said.
For more information, visit www.imsresearch.com.
