This activity comes against the backdrop of a worldwide rise in Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) subscriptions. Subscriber levels in March 2008 were twice as high as they were in March 2007. It was the second year in a row that subscribership had doubled, according to a study sponsored by The Broadband Forum and conducted by Point Topic.
The companies did not make IPTV totals available to the public, but did release broadband figures by region. Broadband growth worldwide has helped fuel IPTV growth, and worldwide broadband subscriptions have passed the 370 million mark.
IPTV operators around the world have shown that systems are scalable and can handle rapid growth in subscriber numbers," said John Bosnell, senior analyst at Point Topic, in a statement.
With IPTV, all content is on-demand. Internet users are accustomed to the idea of search and retrieve on the Web, and IPTV allows them to interact with their TV in the same way. There is no such thing as missing a TV show in an IP world, because all programs are stored and then retrieved from the network, similar to Internet content on the Web.
The technology holds special promise for marketers because it allows for microtargeting by addressable ads. The technology could also deliver long-tail revenues for niche video content providers in the same way the Internet does for online publishers: Instead of a standard TV channel package, IPTV could let consumers to customize their programming, including shows that would not normally draw enough viewers to warrant wide distribution.
Point Topic said that nearly 15.5 million people now subscribe to IPTV services, with over 8.4 million of those subscribers in Europe.
But IPTV is still in its infancy, and estimates of future subscribership vary. For 2011 to 2012, for example, worldwide IPTV estimates range from 38.4 million subscribers (Informa) to over 100 million subscribers (iSuppli).
