Research from Futuresource Consulting has found that the global digital media adaptor (DMA) market in 2015 saw 42 million shipments, growing over 15% year-on-year and representing a trade value of $1.9 billion.
Driven by a surging over-the-top (OTT) sector, dedicated video streaming devices shipments are expected to exceed 63 million units by 2020.
Futuresource says that with its low-cost Chromecast product, which continues to be the world's largest brand, Google currently claims a 19% share of the market, followed by the strongly performing Amazon Fire, which grew its shipments by over 200% year-on-year as use of its Prime Video service increased. Other brands with a significant market presence included Apple and Roku.
Looking at the key DMA markets, Futuresource found that during 2015, the US registered 19% growth and overtook China as the largest market. Other markets with strong growth include Western Europe and Latin America, which both had an increase of more than 50% in shipments vs. 2014. The analyst cited the NOW TV proposition from Sky across the UK, Germany and Italy as a factor that boosted growth in Western Europe.
“Demand for DMAs is on the rise due to the ever-increasing uptake of streaming services. Netflix's worldwide expansion plans and the increasingly strong foothold of Amazon Prime means that the addressable market has increased considerably,” commented David Tett, market analyst at Futuresource Consulting. “The rise in popularity is also due to an attractive interface along with a range of well-maintained range of apps. These ensure that DMAs are a popular option for video streaming, despite the availability of alternative streaming devices such as smart TVs, IP STBs and games consoles. In the future, DMAs will also increasingly offer 4K/Ultra HD options, something which will add to their appeal.”