After months of hyper growth, the IPTV market appears to be cooling.
This is because many of the world’s telcos have already launched service and few new prospective broadcasters are poised to enter the market.
The downturn also is playing a role, choking off investment funds.
Cisco gained set-top box market share from Motorola last year
This apparently hasn’t dampened Cisco System’s desire to improve its position in the set-top box market against competitor Motorola.
When Cisco bought Scientific-Atlanta in 2006, Scientific-Atlanta was stronger in the traditional set-top box market and not Internet, or IP, broadcasting. But since the growth was in IPTV, Cisco hoped to change this.
According to In-Stat, the company improved its market share versus ailing Motorola in 2008 as its shipments increase from 2007. Motorola remains the top dog in the market.
However, after 55 percent growth last year, the set-top box market will likely be flat this year.
That’s because providers including France Telecom, AT&T, Free, British Telecom, Deutsche Telekom and China Telecom have generated much of the growth in subscribers. It seems the easy-to-convince customers have already been won.
Posted by Mark Boslet 
