Set Top Boxes (STBs) remains one of the fastest growing products in India consumer electronics segment. Increasing demand for digital viewing among the Indian consumers is further expected to boost the Indian STB market.
According to 6Wresearch, India Set Top Box Market registered an annual shipments of 18.48 million units. Technicolor led the market followed by Skyworth and Cisco. The DVB-S segment continues to cannibalize the DVB-C segment’s market share in the India Set Top Box Market.
The Cable Television Networks Amendment Bill passed by government in 2011 remains the key growth driver for the India Set Top Box Market. Additionally, services such as recording and attached karaoke have further increased the demand for STBs in India. DVB-S STBs registered a substantial growth over the last few quarters. Effective marketing and increasing demand for better video quality played a major role in the transformation of Indian customers towards this segment.
In India Set Top Box Market, SD (Standard Definition) STBs still holds major share of the market. However, in the last few quarters, growing demand for HD (High Definition) STBs has been observed among the Indian consumers. In the DVB-S segment, HD STBs captured around 63% share of the market.
Foreign OEM’s still holds major share of the industry. Non-availability of electronic ecosystem and lower profit margins are the major reasons affecting the local STBs production. Government initiatives like Modified Special Initiative Package Scheme, development of homegrown Conditional Access System and hike on Import duty are expected to boost local manufacturing over the coming quarters.
Market trends includes 4K STBs, WI-FI STBs, OS (Operating System) based STBs. Recently, Simmtronics Semiconductors has decided to invest US$5 Million to set up its STB manufacturing plant in India. This initiative is likely to lift the local production and decrease the unit cost of STBs. Additionally, deployments of advanced multimedia home gateways supporting multiple screen can be seen as a major technology trend in this segment. Further, growing demand of internet streaming in STBs is expected to impact the market share of Apple Tv, Roku and Google Chromecast.