Boston, MA - May 31, 2005 - Your next TV could be a cellphone. According to Strategy Analytics' Connected Home service, more than a quarter of digital TV devices sold worldwide in 2010 will be mobile phones, as handset vendors strive to place a `TV in every pocket.' Traditional devices, such as set-top boxes, however, will remain the staple for some years; and demand for these will also increase. The report, `Digital TV Diversifies: Global Demand Will Shift Away From STBs,' predicts that device manufacturers likely to lead the fixed/mobile DTV convergence opportunity are Samsung, Sony/Sony Ericsson and LG.

`In the context of the cellphone industry, digital TV will be a relatively minor event," says David Mercer, Principal Analyst at Strategy Analytics. "But for digital TV players mobile devices represent an important new opportunity. The industry will push digital TV into people's hands, but it faces a challenge getting them to use it."

According to the research, 71 million digital TV devices will be sold globally this year, of which 1.9 million will be DTV phones. By 2010 annual sales of all devices will be 279 million, with mobile devices accounting for 73.5 million.

In spite of these growth forecasts, mobile DTV faces usability obstacles and perceptions as well as barriers related to operator network strategies and government and regulator approaches.

Source: Strategy Analytics' Connected Home and Wireless Device Strategies