Future of set-top boxes in UK

Behind the array of new technology and optimism on show at last week’s Internet Protocol TV world forum in London, an underlying air of apprehension was perceptible.

The potential concern for the TV set-top box makers at the convention was all around them, albeit in a wireless form: the Internet. As the variety of TV content available over the internet expands, the future market for makers of TV set-top boxes – such as Virgin Media’s TiVo and Sky’s Plus – has been called into question. Why would a consumer pay for a subscription to use a set-top box when “smart TVs” allow direct access to internet content, known as over the top (OTT), for free?