A new forecast from Canalys predicts that worldwide IPTV subscriber levels will increase more than tenfold by the end of the decade, growing from fewer than 4 million in 2006 to almost 40 million in 2010.
Europe, the Middle East and Asia accounted for two-thirds of global IPTV subscribers at the end of 2006, said Canalys, and will remain the largest market through to 2010, when the region will account for 38% of the worldwide total.
Alessandra Fitzpatrick, Canalys vice president, said: “France is the European IPTV trailblazer, boasting 1.3 million subscribers at the end of 2006. Good, early uptake has been driven by a number of factors, notably low broadband prices, the prevalence of bundling low-cost IPTV service with broadband/telephony packages and limited competition from cable operators.”
Canalys expects to see strong IPTV subscriber growth in North America. Being home to just 9% of the worldwide subscriber base at the end of 2006, the region will rise to represent 31% of all subscribers by 2010.
“The Asia Pacific region also offers huge potential, but the regulatory environment is restricting development,” Fitzpatrick commented. “The IPTV markets in China, Japan and South Korea are heavily constrained at present, although the 2008 Beijing Olympics may prompt Chinese authorities to accelerate plans.”
Canalys forecasts more than 11 million subscribers across the Asia Pacific region by the end of the decade, although this figure could easily be surpassed should regulatory obstacles be overcome. In less developed regions, IPTV services will be restricted to a large degree by shortcomings in deployed infrastructure and low levels of disposable income.
The analyst firm expects IPTV to account for 11% of digital TV households by the end of the decade, up from just 3% at the end of 2006.
Recent broadband and IPTV statistics unveiled at the Broadband World Forum Europe in Berlin revealed that the number of people using IPTV services increased by 179% in the 12 months to 30 June 2007 (see Eight Million People Now Using IPTV Services).
Research published by Screen Digest in August found that the UK is lagging behind the rest of Europe in its IPTV provision, with only one nationally available IPTV service compared to eight services in France, four major operations in Spain, two in Italy and two in Germany (see UK Failing To Exploit IPTV).
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