IPTV subscriber numbers doubled during the 12 months to June 30 2006, according to new research from Point Topic.
Europe is the most important region for IPTV, with the strongest growth in subscriber numbers during the period. There have also been a large number of service launches. Point Topic adds that this growth reflects the developed and competitive pay-TV market in many European countries.
Hong Kong’s PCCW remains the largest IPTV operator, with 444,000 paying IPTV subscribers, and a total of 654,000 TV connections.
France Telecom had over 300,000 paying customers, whilst Telefonica in Spain grew strongly to 267,000 TV subscribers.
IPTV Subscribers H1 2006, summary | ||||
Number of Users (‘000s) | ||||
Region | H1 2006 | H1 2005 | H1 2004 | |
Asia Pac Sub Total | 987 | 612 | 408 | |
Europe Sub Total | 1505 | 521 | 436 | |
Americas Sub Total | 409 | 267 | 161 | |
Other Users | 50 | 70 | ||
Total Worldwide | 2950 | 1470 | 1055 |
A recent forecast from MRG projects that there will be 50.5 million IPTV subscribers by the end of 2010, with global IPTV revenue of $16.7 billion in 2010 (see Over 50 Million IPTV Subscribers By 2010).
Meanwhile, Gartner forecast that the number of households subscribing to IPTV services offered by telecom carriers will reach 48.8 million in 2010 (see Worldwide IPTV Subscribers To Reach 48.8 Million by 2010).