ITV

Category: IPTV

  • China IPTV users to reach 1 million as fixed line operators seek to grow

    China IPTV users to reach 1 million as fixed line operators seek to grow

    MUMBAI: The market for IPTV is expected to take off upto 1 million in China next year as fixed line operators seek ways to grow.

    Zhongxing Telecommunication Equipment (ZTE) Corp vice-president network division Huang Dabin said, “IPTV could get a head-start next year in China.”

    Huang predicted the number of IPTV subscribers in China could exceed 1 million next year, up from the current 100,000 subscribers.

    Fixed-line operators China Telecom and China Netcom have been aggressively building trial IPTV networks since last year. This year, some commercial IPTV services have been operational in cities such as Shanghai.

    “Fixed-line carriers are putting a big bet on IPTV as one of the top priorities of their business transformations, as IPTV promises a new revenue stream,” added Huang.

    China had 370 million fixed-line telephone subscribers and 449 million mobile phone subscribers as of October.

  • KT-Korea campaigns for faster IPTV adoption

    KT-Korea campaigns for faster IPTV adoption

    MUMBAI: The South Korean fixed-line & broadband carrier KT Corporation has called for the government to speed up introducing Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), claiming that a one-year delay would cost the nation about 1 trillion won (US$1.07 billion).

    An Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union report quotes The Korea Times on KT’s warning that Korea might suffer a loss of more than 1 trillion won, if the adoption of IP-based media services was delayed by one year, hurting related equipment makers severely.

    Korea has been slow to adopt the cutting-edge services largely due to the protests and lobbying efforts from terrestrial TV and cable service providers, who fear their market share might decline and profits shrink. KT and other telecom operators with solid IP infrastructure want to use their facilities to expand their service coverage and broaden income bases.

    Korea is now expected to allow operators to launch IPTV as early as in 2007 and KT plans to invest 300 billion won (US$319 million) into IPTV infrastructure this year for a faster service launch, the report adds.

  • IPTV survey reveals limited initial revenue expectations

    IPTV survey reveals limited initial revenue expectations

    MUMBAI: Accenture and the Economist Intelligence Unit conducted a global survey of 302 technology and media firm executives. All of them are involved in or close to the IPTV business—network operators, equipment vendors, consumer electronics firms, broadcasters/studios and content providers.

    Key Findings:

    There is long-term optimism in IPTV: 34 per cent of the executives we surveyed believe IPTV will generate “significant revenue” by 2009 and another 57 per cent are at least “somewhat confident” that this will be the case.

    But, few companies expect a substantial IPTV impact on their bottom line. Rather, most see the larger impact being on top-line growth. Network operators also hope IPTV will drive the take-up of broadband access connections and help reduce customer churn.

    Content is critical to network operators’ business model. They are currently acquiring it however they can, and the largest proportion of respondents say distribution without rights of ownership will be the primary means of sourcing IPTV content over the next year, according to an official release.

    Video-on-demand is expected to be the chief money-maker among different IPTV services, both today and over the longer term. There is little consensus on other likely revenue sources. Respondents did not see advertising as a potential money-earner.

    The chief hurdles to IPTV consumer adoption: a dearth of compelling content and lingering quality-of-service problems. Not a single respondent from this group is very confident that IPTV will spur significant revenue growth within a year of launch and no more than half are fairly or very confident of generating substantial revenue by 2009.

    Despite respondents’ pessimism that IPTV will spur growth in the near-term, major players are in various stages of testing IPTV. These include Verizon, AT&T, Telecom Italia, France Telecom and China Netcom, the release adds.

  • Optibase IPTV platforms enable Real-Time Video Traffic Monitoring in Korea

    Optibase IPTV platforms enable Real-Time Video Traffic Monitoring in Korea

    MUMBAI: The California-headquartered Optibase, Ltd., one of the leading providers of advanced digital video solutions, has announced that Korea Highway Corporation (KHC) has integrated the Optibase MGW 5100 carrier-grade IPTV streaming platform to enable live video monitoring of the country’s highways.

    The KHC has stationed analog video cameras alongside the highways to collect traffic information in real-time. The video feeds containing this information are delivered over a fiber network to centrally control information for processing and analyzing. The Optibase MGW 5100 encodes the feeds into both H.264 and Windows Media format for the delivery of high quality video streams, in real time, to KHC’s Regional Control centers, monitoring the traffic conditions from afar, informs an official release.

    Additionally, an on-board Windows Media Server, fully supported by the advanced architecture of the MGW 5100 platform and WMT encoders, enables viewing of traffic conditions on the KHC Web site using any PC or PDA running a Windows Media Player. This provides drivers with maximum traffic information before they approach the highways. Samsung Networks provided integration for the video deployment, the release adds.

    “KHC needed a solution that would enable streaming a large number of channels in low bit rates while maintaining superior quality,” says S.T. Kim, GM of Diginix, Optibase’s partner in Korea. “The system had to be extremely stable as we rely on it to provide accurate information in real-time. The Optibase platform provided us with high quality encoding and streaming, and high availability and reliability, all packaged in a compact chassis that results in lower operating expenses. Furthermore, we can now easily monitor traffic conditions using a single management system which is a significant benefit.”

    “We are pleased to have an opportunity to demonstrate how our IPTV streaming solution is not only a major requirement of Telecom operators for IPTV deployments worldwide, but is also sought by corporations and agencies such as KHC that need high quality and high stability video applications,” says Yossi Aloni, VP of marketing at Optibase. “Through close cooperation with our partners, we have provided a sophisticated video system tailored to KHC’s needs.”

  • Archer launches IPTV platform for Indian content in the US

    Archer launches IPTV platform for Indian content in the US

    MUMBAI: Archer Entertainment Media Communications which works in different areas of digital content has launched an IPTV platform, www.IndiaTVLive.com, in the US to distribute Indian content.

    Full-time broadcasting, in every Indian language, to 40 million Indians living outside of India and 1.2 billion Indian subscribers in India via www.indiatvlive.com and www.indiaradiolive.com will begin by 15 August 2006, marking the 59th anniversary of India’s independence.

    www.IndiaTVLive.com will stream Indian TV, radio and internet content to subscribers over IPTV. It will enable all Indian media via Internet Protocol to deliver television and radio channels real time, live and direct from India in as good as high definition television quality on wired, Wi-fi and cellular devices worldwide. The content will comprise news, sports and entertainment in all Indian languages.

    IndiaTVLive.com’s content and marketing partners include Shama Broadcast & Content Service India and Creative Content Services India owned and operated by Kedar Nath Gupta. Abhesh Verma is the CEO of India Broadcast Live, an Archer supported company.

    Archer Entertainment COO Munish Gupta said, “Teaming up with Abhesh, Archer was able to put together a state-of-the-art digital technology platform to broadcast the top channels from India. We will deliver channels real time and live from one of the fastest growing and dynamic countries in the world but also guarantee terrific consumer experience in terms of quality. This is the first time that the world will watch news and events as they unfold in India on any device connected by high speed Internet. This is just the beginning of what Archer and www.indiatvlive.com intend to deliver.”

    India’s Union Cabinet minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vyalar Ravi expressed delight that this new (IPTV) platform will connect expatriates with instantaneous news and information from India thereby making the ministry’s job simpler. “I personally know both the promoters, father (Kedar Nath Gupta) and son (Munish Gupta), and their hard and consistent work in media and for the community.” The Indian Minister added that the service could further enhance the fast-growing relationship and investment by overseas Indians into India.

    Verma said, “The platform provides us the extremely lucrative opportunity to reach both inside and outside of India. Overseas Indians represent the most affluent ethnic consumers of any expatriate group. Within India, we will target a whopping 500 million consumer class with a steadily rising broadband connectivity. There’s no doubt we will become the voice of India and Indians across the globe.”

    Archer Entertainment provided the initial funding for the launch and marketing of http://www.IndiaTVLive.com. Archer Entertainment CEO Michael Selsman said, “We remain committed to growing and diversifying the (IndiaTVLive.com) platform.”

  • Interactive Television Networks expands to key Asia Pacific markets

    Interactive Television Networks expands to key Asia Pacific markets

    MUMBAI: The US-based Interactive Television Networks, Inc., a global player in Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), has announced the launch of its ITVN Asia service.

    “We are very excited to introduce ITVN’s revolutionary technology to the Asian market,” says ITVN Asia MD Noah Lieberman. “We anticipate a robust response to ITVN in these markets, as the high speed internet infrastructure in the Asia Pacific region has enjoyed widespread development, especially in countries such as Japan where IPTV customers enjoy fiber-optic cable at speeds up to 100 Mbps.”

    By the end of 2007, everyone in Japan will have access to high speed internet, according to a plan by the Japanese government.

    As part of their multi-year agreement, ITVN Asia has pre-purchased ITVN subscription services and hardware as well as committed to short and long term subscriber targets, states an official release.

    “We are pleased to be able to extend the ITVN brand into these new markets,” says ITVN CEO Charles Prast. “ITVN Asia users will initially enjoy Silver Screen, which delivers the golden age of cinema to their home television. In addition to Silver Screen, ITVN Asia plans to launch additional music, movie, sports and video game channels.”

  • HD and IPTV: Taking television to the next level

    HD and IPTV: Taking television to the next level

    SINGAPORE: High Definition Television (HDTV) has garnered a great deal of interest from early adopters largely because of the dramatic increase in picture quality, which supports the consumers’ demand for ever larger screen sizes. In order to appeal to the wider consumer audience HDTV will need to demonstrate considerable additional value over that of the standard definition incumbent.

    On the other hand, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) offers a foundation for the delivery of such value as it provides the capability to offer truly tailored television services in either a lone viewer or community viewer based environment. The additional resolution afforded by HDTV, enables the compelling visual presentation of the information and controls, which will form a vital part in the translation of HDTV demand from the early adopters to the high value mass market.

    ANT Software Ltd (UK) executive vice president sales and marketing Stephen Reeder said, “For most people, TV today still consists of a small number of channels with little or no information about the programming, which is on offer. Over the past 25 years, the introduction of cable, satellite and digital terrestrial television delivery has seen the addition of many more channels, increased programme information, Electronic Programme Guides (EPGs), and most recently, interactive services. Consumer acceptance of the increase in programming has been positive, with some regions, like the UK, experiencing extremely high take up rates.”

    What HDTV alone can’t provide is the transformation of TV from a singular experience where programming is broadcast to the consumer, to a truly tailored service where customers can see what they want, when they want to see it. Here’s where IPTV steps in.

    What can IPTV deliver that other delivery systems can’t?

    IPTV offers a one-to-one relationship between the viewer and the content they are viewing. It means that the viewer has the capability to pause, rewind or skip through a programme under their direct control without affecting other viewers in different locations. “The flexibility afforded by this one-to-one relationship extends far beyond the control of broadcast programming. Most basic IPTV systems offer on-demand movies, special interest channels and compelling interactive services ranging from gambling and Karaoke on demand to simple gaming for the children. In other words, customers can watch what they want to watch, when they want to watch it,” said Reeder.

    On the other hand, HD is important to IPTV because the latter offers immense flexibility and considerable potential customer value. “HD provides a dramatic increase in screen resolution, which in turn provides the potential for more information to be displayed in a clear and easy to understand form,” Reeder added.

    In conclusion, he said, “HDTV has made an impressive impact amongst the early adopter consumers. Although the value proposition of improved picture quality and the ability to support larger screen sizes is unlikely to be sufficient to ensure mass market success. IPTV and the HTML based technologies associated with it have much to offer in building the value necessary to underpin HDTV mass market adoption. The industry leaders are already putting in place the necessary foundation for a range of products and services, which will enhance the HDTV value proposition and create the required market pull to ensure success.”

  • India to hit top IPTV slot in Asia Pacific by 2015: Kagan Research

    India to hit top IPTV slot in Asia Pacific by 2015: Kagan Research

    SINGAPORE: So what if IPTV is still taking baby steps in India? Come 2015 and India is going to be the third most happening market for IPTV in the Asia Pacific region in terms of the number of households that will have the service, just behind China and Japan, according to projections by Kagan Research.

    What’s more, the total pay-TV revenues forecast are expected to grow from $13.1 billion in 2004 in the Asia Pacific region to an estimated $38.0 billion in 2015. On the other hand, IPTV revenue share will rise from 0.7 per cent in 2004 to 12.9 per cent in 2015. With this, telcos will capture a significant portion of Asia Pacific total pay-TV revenues.

    At present, IPTV has been launched or is in the trial stages in the following countries in the Asia Pacific region: China (trial), Hong Kong, India (trial), Indonesia, Japan, Korea (trial), Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore (trial), Taiwan and Thailand (trial). In the countries, where IPTV is on a trial basis, operators are either running a trial in selected markets or lobbying respective regulators to lift their grip on pay TV licensing. 

    Some of the key considerations when planning a ‘Pay TV Service’ are: ‘Pay’ factor – who, how much, subsidies; ‘TV’ factor- programs, user experience, positioning, potential revenue stream; ‘Service’ factor- look and feel of service and customer service. 

    In terms of the content strategy, some of the trends in IPTV that can be followed in Asia are: 

    • Start with satellite turnaround signals which already have an Asian footprint as these require little inhouse programming expertise.

    • Invest in brand-name channels to build critical mass and position as a ‘complementary’ and not ‘substitute’ service to traditional PayTV.

    • In-house content department and capabilities give operators the edge, e.g. self-programmed channels, marketing, licensing and legal expertise.

    • Local content/ self-programming are essential for competing with traditional Pay TV operators.

    • PVR/ TiVo has started in Taiwan and Australia on traditional Pay TV platform.

  • IPTV: Expanding the content, engaging the viewer

    IPTV: Expanding the content, engaging the viewer

    SINGAPORE: Television broadcasting is now far more challenging than conventional terrestrial cable and satellite delivery. With the influx of multiple services and delivery platforms like HD, VOD, IPTV (Internet Protocol Television), interactive and multimedia services, consumers are now exposed to a whole new world of entertainment!

    “IPTV is soon going to transform the television landscape. The transformation of television is introducing new technologies in the domain and represents a true transformation in broadcast television,” said JJB Associates Australia principal consultant John Bigeni at the session titled Expanding the Content, Engaging the Viewer on day two of BroadcastAsia 2006.

    A word of caution that was thrown was that companies that are mulling entering into IPTV, should go beyond what is currently being offered by broadcasters. In short, IPTV should go beyond “Me Too” television. “Telecos should move from being providers of transport to being providers of experience. A message to the Telecos is clear – It is not good enough to deliver “Me Too” television,” said OpenTV (Greater China) general manager Ren Xiaoyan.

    Explaining what “Me Too” television was, Xiaoyan said, “Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) and Digital Music comprising services like broadcast TV on-demand, program packages, pay per view, channel favorites, parental controls, multiple service providers and T-commerce, are provided by broadcasters too. So it is not enough for IPTV service providers to just provide all of this.”

    Enhanced programming comprising video mosaics, different camera angle, selection, live information, program enhancements, content, promotion and lifestyle portals should be synchronised with the broadcast stream to provide a rich viewing experience. On-Demand services, on the lines of what is being offered by Comcast, comprising VOD, Push VOD, Pull VOD, PVR, NPVR, PVR To Go and Multiroom & Media Control can be offered based on the network architecture and cost.

    Apart from that Quad Play experiences offering live TV, DVR and remote record, unified voicemail, Email and games will further the experience to a different level.

    IPTV also allows for advanced advertising and in turn providers additional revenue streams for providers. “Addressable advertising is possible through IPTV apart from ad telescoping (provide more detailed spectrum for example provide a commercial of five minutes instead of the regular 30 seconds. One can also target the ad based on demographic,” Xiaoyan said.

    On the other hand, games and gaming services can be also provided over IPTV via pay per play or subscription model, in addition to communication services like email, chat and SMS.

    “In order to save call center cost, many companies are now providing in-house customer care services for instant updates on programme booking and billing,” Xiaoyan said.

    So what’s the promise of IPTV? While, it cannot be simply “Me Too” TV, the advantage it has is that digital TV has not yet fulfilled its true potential as it has been hampered by narrowband (as opposed to broadband) and no return channel. Also, it does not provide the on-demand experience and iTV (Interactive Television) never really took off. But now, IPTV can bring in better content and experience through narrowcasting, faster channel change, faster application and content download and better on-demand services.

    While it all sounds hunky dory, IPTV’s dirty little secret is that cable and satellite channels are already providing all of this! So how does IPTV compete? Xiaoyan provides the answers.

    “Companies providing IPTV can’t just focus on video. They have to run and run faster in the competitive environment. They have to work with advertisers and programmers, work out new content deals and business models and not just limit themselves to their vendors,” he concludes.

  • mPhase Tech highlights its IPTV solution at Wall Street Analyst forum

    mPhase Tech highlights its IPTV solution at Wall Street Analyst forum

    MUMBAI: mPhase Technologies (OTCBB: XDSL) president and chief executive Ronald Durando will brief the 17th Annual Wall Street Analyst Conference on the company’s latest software release specifically designed to help telecommunications operators be better equipped to provide carrier-class IPTV services, especially as the market is poised for growth.

    Durando’s presentation at The Princeton Club in New York City will be webcast live on 15 June at around 11:10 am and archived at http://www.investorcalendar.com/CEPage.asp?ID=104932.

    Among the most recent improvements to the mPhase TV+ System is an integrated Latens dynamic Conditional Access System, a pure software security solution that protects content and allows telcos to offer revenue rich premium content. The newest enhancements to be discussed include features to improve the ability of a service provider to cost-effectively manage both subscriber growth and system complexity, states an official release