Rapid Growth of IPTV Could Fuel Global Multichannel TV Hypercompetition

By 2013, IPTV’s global subscriber share is expected to grow to 8.3%; revenues expected to reach 9.8% of global pay-TV revenues

MONTEREY, California — According to SNL Kagan, IPTV is emerging as a strong market alternative in the increasingly competitive global multichannel space. IPTV, which accounted for only 0.01% of global multichannel households at year-end 2003, grew to include 4.9% of pay-TV subscribers in 2009. SNL Kagan projects the number of IPTV subscribers will grow to 59.7 million by 2013, translating to an 8.3% subscriber share. IPTV video service revenues are expected to reach $22.6 billion by 2013, accounting for 9.8% of total global pay-TV revenues. IPTV operations have weathered the global recession with subscribers growing 46.9% year-over-year between 2008 and 2009 while revenues grew 69%.

“Telco’s penetration of the video business has the potential to fuel multichannel TV hypercompetition,” said SNL Kagan senior analyst Ben Reneker. “As pay-TV operators face increasing pressure to meet consumer expectations for channel diversity and on-demand offerings, IPTV will be well-positioned to deliver, further eroding cable and DTH subscriber share globally.”

According to SNL Kagan analysis, which will appear in an upcoming whitepaper entitled “The State of Global IPTV,” Western Europe leads the global IPTV realm with 13.2 million IPTV subscribers at year-end 2009, followed by Asia Pacific and North America, with 9.6 million and 6 million subscribers, respectively. However, SNL Kagan forecasts Asia Pacific will surpass Western Europe in IPTV subscriber population, reaching 19.3 million by 2012. North America, currently the most lucrative IPTV market globally, is positioned to maintain its top position for the foreseeable future.

“The State of Global IPTV” will examine recent IPTV market trends and will present forecasts for the platform’s growth during a five-year period, from 2009 to 2013, in six regions: North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific. It will be made available during the IPTV World Forum 2010, where Reneker will host a roundtable discussion focusing on the strategic and revenue opportunities available to pay-TV operators that embrace OTT content. The Forum – to be held 23-25 March 2010 at Olympia National Hall in London – brings together operators, technology partners and content providers to explore and define the IPTV evolution. The roundtable will take place on Day One of the Forum, at 8:15 am.

“The State of Global IPTV” and other reports are available to subscribers of the SNL Kagan Unlimited information service. For more information on SNL Kagan, contact Sales at 866.296.3743; SNLKaganSales(at)SNL(dot)com.