Taiwan`s Demand for STB to Exceed 10M in 5 Years

With Taiwanese cable TV broadcasting service providers actively promoting digital TV broadcasting this year, demand for STB (set-top box) is predicted to exceed 10 million units in the next 5 years on the island, creating huge opportunities for their makers, according to industry sources.

Currently a large audience of an estimated 4.6 to 4.7 million watch cable TV in Taiwan, 80 percent of which receive services from mainly MSOs (multi system operators).

One MSO is Kbro Co Ltd, who has started offering digital TV broadcast on a trial basis; in the meantime, TFN Media Co Ltd is also to start trial promotion of the service in the second quarter of this year. Plus, China Network Systems Co Ltd (CNS) and Taiwan Broadband Communications Co Ltd (TBC) are both planning to launch such services in Taiwan in the near future, all of which will certainly spur demand for STBs.

In fact, Kbro already ordered 40,000 STBs from Taiwan-based Prime Electronics and Satellitics Inc, a supplier of digital satellite communication and wireless consumer electronic products, and a Korean maker in 2008, and will keep procuring the devices this year.

Coincidentally, CNS and TBC are also scheduled to buy STBs from Prime Electronics soon. Accordingly, another Taiwanese maker Zinwell Corp is actively vying for the orders from these two MSOs.

Meanwhile, TFN Media is determined to source STBs and related products from ADB (Advanced Digital Broadcast), a large international company listed in Switzerland, who will subcontract Taiwan`s Hon Hai Precision Industry and Cal-Comp Electronics and Communications to manufacture. TFN Media plans to procure a total of one million STBs in the next 5 years.

Source: CENS