According to a new report from The Diffusion Group (TDG), the number of broadband enabled TVs is expected to exceed 162 million households globally by 2011.
TDG defines broadband televisions as those which are capable of directly or indirectly receiving broadband video content.
Colin Dixon, senior analyst and author of the Broadband Video: Redefining the Television Experience report, said: “It is fair to say that the democratisation of video delivery is officially underway.”
“As the internet finds its way to the primary home TV, and it will, incumbent pay TV operators and established broadcasters will gradually lose control over the types of video consumers can watch.
“In the next few years, a growing number of consumers will look to the internet as means of expanding the variety of content to which they have access, much of which will be available on-demand and specifically suited to their tastes.”
Dixon mentions five factors which in combination are creating a ‘tipping point’ for broadband TV, which include the widespread adoption of broadband internet services, the introduction and push of solutions intended to enable internet video viewing on the TV (such as Microsoft’s Xbox/IPTV platform and Apple’s pending iTV adapter) and the entry of top-tier content producers into the internet marketplace, many of which are now pushing high value franchise content onto the web.
TDG says that the impact of thee trends remains lost on the vast majority of video entities, with Dixon saying: “While the subject of internet video is on everyone’s tongue, very few have a full understanding of how internet based video will impact the traditional TV business.”
In many cases, consumers will simply use a proxy to enable an internet to TV connection, that is, instead of having a modem embedded in the TV which connects directly to a broadband service, consumers will use an internet television adapter, or iTVA, such as an internet enabled game console, media-centric PC, digital media adapter, or hybrid set-top box to access web-based video content.
Dixon notes that for those with a broadband internet connection, it is becoming quite simple to both provide and access internet-based video on the living room TV.
Dixon said: “Not only is it now technologically feasible for most consumers, but economically attractive for content providers.”
In addition, the internet video space, says TDG, is undergoing a shift away from short ‘video snacks’ and toward longer form narrative content more characteristic of TV in terms of production quality, video quality and length.
A recent report from eMarketer said that there will be 157 million US internet video users in 2010, up from 107.7 million this year (see US Internet Video Users To Reach 157 Million).
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