IPTV Growth Outpacing Cable & Satellite TV

SAN JOSE: The number of global IPTV subscribers is expected to grow from 53 million in 2011 to 105.1 million in 2015, a CAGR of 18.7 percent, according to new forecasts from the Multimedia Research Group (MRG).

Revenue for the global IPTV market reached $21.8 billion in 2011, and is projected to reach $45.3 million in 2015, a CAGR of 20 percent. Europe and North America are expected to continue to generate a larger share of the global revenue by 2015. This is due to very low ARPUs in Asia.

"In recent quarters, IPTV operators have seen their subscriber growth outpace that of their cable and satellite TV rivals,” said Jose Alvear, IPTV analyst for MRG. “IPTV operators are expanding their TV offerings by aggressively adding HD, multiscreen and multiview services, and hybrid services like OTT video linked with digital terrestrial or satellite video services.”

Increasingly, IPTV providers are moving away from pure-play IPTV services and are adding new ways to deliver content to their customers. “Although certain regions and countries have seen very good IPTV subscriber growth, areas like Latin America and Southeast Asia still have not gotten off the ground with IPTV,” added Alvear. “As such, IPTV growth will likely be quick once government and regulatory issues have been dealt with.”