Internet protocol television (IPTV) is expected to enjoy a massive surge in growth in China, with the 2008 Olympic games representing a strong trigger for initial uptake of the medium within the region.
According to high tech market research firm In-Stat, IPTV subscribers in China will reach about 18 million by 2010, up from around just 100,000 today, with set top box revenues reaching about $435 million by the end of the forecast period.
In-Stat claims that applications such as TV Gaming, TV Shopping, TV Education and even TV Video Calls will increase interest in IPTV services delivered through a set top box to the television set.
If interactive games can be transferred via the internet to the larger screen of the TV, families will be able to play together and thus expand the base of potential gamers. In-Stat makes a similar prediction for TV Education and TV Shopping, arguing that IPTV will increase customers.
Research from LoveLace Consulting and informitiv forecasts IPTV to become firmly established as an alternative platform to digital satellite, terrestrial and cable transmission over the next ten years (see Popularity Of E-Shopping Continues To Grow).
The latest research from Informa Telecoms & Media predicts IPTV to reach 25.9 million subscribers globally by the end of 2010, up from just 2.7 million at the end of 2005 (see Popularity Of E-Shopping Continues To Grow).
The report, IPTV: A Global Analysis, echoes In-Stat’s predictions that China will lead in IPTV penetration, with 4.9 million subscribers by the end of 2010. The US is forecast to be in second place, with 3.4 million, while Hong Kong, the leading country in 2004 with 475,000 subscribers, will drop to eighth position by 2010, having been overtaken by the UK with 1.5 million.
Earlier estimates from Informa claimed that the strong growth in IPTV will be aided by rapid advances in digital subscriber line (DSL) penetration, with high profile launches within the area expected in the second half of 2005 and 2006 (see Popularity Of E-Shopping Continues To Grow).
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