EnTiVo has made progress in a series of patent lawsuits regarding its software in televisions set-top boxes against Comcast, Bloomberg reports. The case specifically relates to programming guides in boxes made by Commscope’s Arris Technologies.
Panjiva data shows imports of set-top boxes – defined as TV receivers without screens in the U.S. tariff code – have been in decline. Total U.S. imports fell by 9.0% year over year to 26.2 million units or $2.03 billion in 2019.
The slide likely reflects the growth in availability of smart TVs and the increasing importance of software in other devices, exemplified by Roku as outlined in Panjiva’s research of Dec. 19.
The downturn also comes as tariffs were applied to Chinese exports under the section 301 program that underpins the U.S.-China trade war. China represented 69.7% of shipments in 2019. There’s also been a downturn in shipments from Mexico, which represented 11.3% of the total. There’s partly been an offset from a surge in imports from Thailand and Indonesia more recently, potentially reflecting a switch in manufacturing locations.
Source: Panjiva
Panjiva’s seaborne shipping data shows that imports associated with Arris Technology have already diversified from China to Taiwan with cutback of 45.8% year over year in the three months to Feb. 28.
Humax meanwhile imports from Thailand and South Korea but still saw a drop of 57.5% year over year in shipments linked to the firm. Similarly Dish Networks-related imports – which come wholly from China – dropped 30.4%.
The outlier has been Roku which appears to source mostly from China but also increasingly from Vietnam which has recovered more recently with an 18.8% rise.
Source: Panjiva
