Europe leader in IPTV subscriptions
Link: Europe leader in IPTV subscriptions
A study by analyst firm Canalys found that Western Europe accounts for two-thirds of worldwide IPTV subscribers. The main reason that Europe is leading the way in IPTV is the increased investment in networking technology in the region.
According to the research, overall IPTV industry revenues are $1bn a year, on total IPTV subscribers of more than 3.6 million.
According to Canalys, IPTV networks are expected to become the most complex and bandwidth intensive that have ever existed. Although there has been substantial investment in network upgrades, it is still unproven if IPTV networks can scale into the millions without loss of performance and slower response times.
The IPTV market is very tightly focused and many regions still do not have a reliable service, so the top five providers make up 60% of the total market.
Canalys identifies the leading global IPTV providers as PCCW with 18.2% market share, France Telecom with 16.8% and Free Telecom with 14%.
Asia and North America are considered potential growth area for IPTV. AT&T and Verizon are already pushing nationwide roll-outs of IPTV services in North America.
