Synopsis

IPTV is making something of a comeback, with new services launched over higher-speed broadband networks and the introduction of competitively priced triple play models. Increased uptake of these services by consumers is driving the video demand as internet media companies, together with content producers, fill the niche market. However BuddeComm remains pessimistic about the current IPTV business models

In the future IPTV will look rather different and the best way to envisage that is to look at the smart TVs which provide ‘app-like’ interfaces to new content services that supply instant streaming.

Another killer application is being produced by the users themselves – YouTube is the second-most-visited site in Australia, followed by the ABC’s iView. Up until now the traditional IPTV products by ISPs have failed to attract large user bases – in 2012 there are now only some 55 million users globally, and some 300,000 of these are in Australia.

The most popular video downloads and streams on these services are full-length episodes of TV shows, amateur video clips such as YouTube, music videos and feature-length films. BuddeComm estimates that video downloading and streaming of video now constitutes well over 50% of all regular online video usage, and that this will only increase over time.

There is a correlation between the availability of high-speed broadband and IPTV usage and it is envisaged that an FttH-based NBN will drive new IPTV developments. The current IPTV models will need to be changed with the arrival of smart TVs. The rapid growth of smartphones and tablets is also giving this market a boost, as well as new business models such as pay-per-view. New IPTV services are already being streamed over these devices, as well as over gaming devices.

In this report we offer an analysis and a market overview, with some statistics provided in tabular and chart formats, together with results from recent industry surveys.