Satellite cos to dominate Europe digital TV--study
biz.yahoo.com
LONDON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Satellite broadcasters will control about 65 percent of the European digital TV market by 2002, according to a report released on Monday by management consultant Datamonitor.
The report said the number of installed digital set-top boxes that receive satellite services will rise to 8.55 million in 2002 versus 1.44 million terrestrial set-top boxes, while the total digital base will be 13.4 million.
Those figures compared wtih an estimated 2.27 million satellite set-top boxes this year out of a total base of 2.60 million, Datamonitor said.
''While digital terrestrial television will at some point extend to the vast majority of the population, the high cost and limited demand for digital interactive services will limit growth for the foreseeable future,'' the report said.
''In the short term at least, sales of digital terrestrial receiving equipment will be eclipsed by satellite and cable competitors,'' it said, adding that digital terrestrial TV was difficult to sell because most viewers associated it with free-to-air TV.
France was expected to have the largest number of digital terrestrial set-top boxes, with 640,000 in 2002, followed by Britain with 606,000 and Italy with 150,000, the report predicted.
No digital terrestrial TV services were likely before 2002 in Germany, Spain, or the Netherlands, the report said.
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