Casino and Casino-style Gambling - US - November 2006
Future and Forecast
FUTURE TRENDS
Digital television promises interactivity
The following Figure shows retail sales of digital television at current prices, 2001-05.
FIGURE 41: Total U.S. manufacturer wholesale sales of DTV sets and displays, at current prices, 2001-05
Year Sales at current prices
$million Index % change
2001 2,648 100 -
2002 4,280 162 61.6
2003 6,521 246 52.4
2004 10,420 394 59.8
2005 (est.) 17,388 657 66.9
SOURCE: Mintel/CEA
If digital television is not yet a significant boon for the gambling industry, it will be soon enough. Digital television is a new broadcasting technology that is expected to transform the television experience. By banding information into digital bits, broadcasters will be able to stream more product into the home than was previously available with analog broadcast technology. Wholesale sales reached $17 billion in 2005, and a household penetration rate of 15%, according to the CEA.
The higher resolution of DTVs will result in better picture and sound quality, but what is of interest to the gaming industry is that the new space on the digital spectrum will allow for more interactive technologies. According to Congress, broadcasters will switch from analog broadcasts to all-digital broadcasts starting February 19, 2009. At that point, homes will become interactive audio and visual centers with opportunities for shopping, online banking, video games, video on demand and gambling. Next to mobile CE products and broadband technology, digital television is another frontier for the home gambling industry. One such model is the one designed by the cable network Spike TV. In 200 ...