Steady Growth Continues in Global IPTV Market: MRG

A report from Multimedia Research Group (MRG) has predicted the number of global IPTV (News - Alert) subscribers will hit 89.6 million in 2012, up from 20.4 million this year.

 

What is driving this steady growth is the continued investment by telcos to upgrade their service, offering HD content and delivering exclusive programming, the report noted. 

By 2012, according to the report, Europe will overtake Asia with a 41.5 percent share of the global IPTV market. Asian continent will however stay close behind with 35.8 percent of the market. 

 

North America will have just a 17 percent share of total worldwide subscribers. It will, however, lead the market in terms of gross service revenues, raking in about $13 billion, thanks to a higher ARPU. 

 

In terms of service revenue, MRG predicts that the global IPTV market stands at $5.9 billion in 2008 and will grow to $29.6 billion in 2012, a compound annual growth rate of 50 per cent. 

 

Today global financial sector is in shambles. Fortunately, Telcos around the world had done enough “belt-tightening” between 2000 and 2003 to lessen their exposure to financial volatility, says the report.  

 

The report titled “IPTV Global Forecast 2008 to 2012”, provides insight into strategies and services added by IPTV operators to accelerate growth. 

 

Despite economic contraction, consistent growth continues at the three major French IPTV operators as they compete to bring better quality and unique content to their users. 

 

In the meantime, many European IPTV Operators have increased subscribers by offering differentiating services, exclusive content and interactive features. Likewise in Asia, despite flat growth in Japan, rapid growth is expected in China, Taiwan and Korea. 

In North America, the report says, Verizon and AT&T (News - Alert) alone may have about 3 million subscribers by the end of 2008, and will continue their rapid growth into 2012. Smaller U.S. and Canadian Operators are following similar strategies.