Pace overtakes Motorola to lead in digital set top box market in year 2009

IMS Research's study of the world market for set top box indicates Pace holds number one rank in worldwide digital set-top boxes (STBs) shipped to pay-TV customers for 2009 and has pushed Motorola to 2nd position.

The top five set-top box manufacturers as per IMS Research in 2009 are Pace, Motorola, Technicolor (formerly Thomson), Scientific Atlanta/Cisco, and Humax. Motorola is dominant in cable sector whereas Technicolor leads in the satellite STB sector.

According to Rebecca Kurlak, co-author of the study, STB shipments grew 15.2 percent year-over-year on a global basis from 2008 to 2009. Previously in 2008, Pace had held the third top spot in the rankings, increasing it' shipments by 31 percent year-over-year in 2009. Pace continues to be aggressive in acquiring partnerships with pay-TV operators around the globe.

Kurlak states, "Pace's position as the 2009 market share leader can not only be attributed to the company's December 2007 acquisition of Philips' STB business, but also due to the company's continued organic growth. The Philips division, now Pace France, operates as a division that focuses on IP, DTT and linear TV services. This additional facility has allowed Pace's headquarters in England to remain focused on traditional TV platforms and NDS CAS clients."

For 2010, IMS Research expects Pace to remain in the top ranking position in 2010 due to its recent partnership announcements of HD roll outs for Benelux satellite operator M7 Group and Malaysian satellite operator ASTRO, in addition to its large contract agreements with DirecTV, UPC and Viasat.