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MUMBAI: The Asia/Pacific region is leading the global revolution of IPTV in infrastructure deployments, applications development and subscriber adoption, reports global research firm In-Stat. The study reveals that the region‘s broadband penetration and regulatory support help to foster the fastest-growing IPTV market in the world.

“With IPTV, incumbent telcos have the opportunity to fundamentally change their broadband customers‘ video service experience from the traditional video clip streaming and downloading model,” says In-Stat analyst Bryan Wang. “IPTV is expected to be the real killer application in the telcos‘ broadband services portfolio that will increase ARPU and preserve user stickiness.”

A recent report by In-Stat found the following:

— By 2011, the Asia/Pacific market is expected to reach 39 million IPTV subscribers.

— Total IPTV revenue in the region will reach US$8.1 billion by 2011.

— Providers will need to find a unique approach to packaging and bundling in order to attract customers and maintain a competitive edge. As a result, most IPTV service providers have strategically integrated services in their triple-play bundled offerings.
 
The research, “Asia/Pacific IPTV Market: Hype and Hope?”, covers the market for IPTV in the Asia/Pacific region. It contains forecasts for IPTV subscribers for the region and by major national markets, along with revenue for the region through 2011. It includes analysis of market drivers, challenges, and the regulatory environment. Also included is a look at specific conditions in major regional markets including China, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan, states an official release.

NEW DELHI / MUMBAI: The many meanderings the CAS (conditional access system) story, which began in 2003 with a government notification, could well have reached its final denouement.

The Delhi High Court today passed an order that makes it imperative on the government to ensure that the three metros of Mumbai, Kolkata and the Capital itself be fully “CAS delivered” on or before 1 January 2007.

And making clear its resolve that there be no further delays in the matter, the court declared that all pending and any new issues related to CAS raised by the government would be taken up only after the CAS‘ implementation deadline of 31 December 2006. It therefore set the next date of hearing on the matter for 10 January 2007.

The court also recorded a commitment by the joint secretary broadcasting Baijendra Kumar in this regard. The government official‘s commitments were taken on record by the court as part of an order passed on 10 March 2006, which had directed the government to implement CAS in Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai within a month‘s time.

The government also assured the court today that a new notification on CAS would be issued by 31 July 2006.

The government‘s stand on the issue means that from 1 January 2007 all pay channels will have to pass through a set-top box (STB) on a mandatory basis or else they stand to be blacked out of all cable homes in the metros.

Multi-system operators (MSOs) have welcomed the court‘s decision as addressability would make the industry transparent on subscriber numbers. “Addressability will benefit the entire industry as well as the subscribers,” said Wire and Wireless India Ltd (WWIL) CEO Jagjit Kohli.

Hathway Cable & Datacom CEO K Jayaraman feels this time round there is a lot of clarity on pricing, STBs and choice with a regulatory framework in place. The fear among consumers that CAS pricing would be the same or even more than what is prevailing on analogue cable is unfounded.

“Addressable pricing is set in motion by the recent TDSAT (Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal) ruling in the DTH (direct-to-home) case. If that is the trendsetter, broadcasters will have to make their content available on digital cable at half the price of what they are quoting on analogue systems. The customers, thus, do not have to worry about paying more for all the channels that they are getting now. And in any case, in a CAS regime they are select the channels they want to watch,” he said.

Besides, MSOs are making available the STBs on rental scheme. “Customers will not be locked to the boxes and can move to other services. The regulatory framework is setting things in place,” he added.

Commenting on the development, MSO Alliance chief Ashok Mansukhani said, “We are delighted by the outcome. CAS will enable the cable industry to deliver more choice to consumers at competitive prices.”

The industry also feels that a five-month breathing period is a practical implementation schedule. But how ready are the MSOs? “WWIL is fully prepared to roll-out STBs not only in the notified areas but throughout the country,” Kohli said. It will be using Headend in the Sky (HITS) technology which will enable it to cover the entire country with a single Digital Headend. “Our value-added boxes will enable subscribers to browse internet, chat, send & receive e-mails, on their existing TV sets without the necessity of having a personal computer. STBs will also have full triple play features including facility for VOIP digital telephone lines using their existing telephone instruments,” he added.

Among the other features being introduced by WWIL are movie on demand (MOD) /video on demand (VOD), pay per view (PPV), interactive games, smart card based real time payment solution and e-banking, the company said in an official release.

MSOs and independent cable operators will have to work out commercial agreements with broadcasters including fixing of channel rates. Said SET Discovery Ltd president Anuj Gandhi, “Now the focus will be on MSOs to show their preparedness for CAS. We hope to be ready with our rates in the next three months. By setting 1 January as the deadline, we will have to compress the time frame a bit.”

A clutch of MSOs had filed a petition in the Delhi HC in 2004 alleging that the government‘s stand on CAS and keeping it in abeyance has resulted in heavy financial losses to the cable industry

Also Read:
Delhi HC orders Government to implement CAS within four weeks

MUMBAI: JumpTV, a global player in the delivery of international television over the internet, has entered into a strategic partnership with Cutting Edge Media, one of India‘s independent media sales company, to expand JumpTV‘s presence in South Asia.

JumpTV will work with Cutting Edge Media to secure new broadcast agreements using internet protocol; enter into distribution agreements for JumpTV‘s global TV roster with Indian cable, mobile telephony, and IPTV providers and build on JumpTV‘s existing menu of South Asian television content.

Currently, JumpTV has signed internet-broadcast agreements with Indian channels: Sony Entertainment Television Asia, India TV, Punjab Today and Balle Balle.

Other South Asian channels the company has roped in are: OnTV, Channel i, RTV from Bangladesh;TV One and HumTV from Pakistan.

Cutting Edge Media oversees brokering distribution, advertising and subscription deals for foreign media companies entering the Indian markets and those Indian outlets looking to grow their international audiences. Its clientele includes Cartoon Network, CNN, Reality TV, The Hallmark Channel and Channel News Asia.

“South Asia is an incredibly vibrant media market. Television stations create and broadcast truly innovative programming, which is closely followed by a passionate viewer base living all over the world. By partnering with Cutting Edge Media, JumpTV will develop new relationships and deepen existing relationships with leading broadcasters from the sub-continent, serving as a platform to internationalize their content over the Internet,” says JumpTV‘s Asia Pacific general manager, Kevin Foong.

He adds, “While our Asian lineup of more than 25 channels includes highly popular South Asian broadcasters such as India‘s SET Asia, Pakistan‘s TV One and Hum TV, Jaya TV, as well as Bangladesh‘s leading stations nTV and Channel i, we are always looking for new ways to serve the vast Pan-Asian communities living away from their respective homelands.”

Cutting Edge Media CEO Murtuza Kagalwala states, “The Internet provides the ideal platform for reaching audiences scattered around the globe. The partnership with JumpTV will allow us to develop significant channel partnerships with Pan-Asian television stations, providing them with the technological platform to become part of the Internet revolution.”