Friday, September 19, 2008

IPTV in Australia


What is IPTV?

The image above demonstrates the new IPTV site called I-View by the ABC.

The definition of IPTV is quite fragmented. It has different meanings depending on which industry you work in. The IPTV focus group uses the following working definition

Multimedia services such as television/video/audio/text/graphics/data delivered
over IP based networks managed to provide the Quality of Service, security,
inactivity and reliability
At a basic level, IPTV is the delivery of multimedia services over a managed IP network. In the communications industry it is used to refer to Telco TV, which is a subscription TV service offered by DSL telco providers to compete with cable broadcasters.

The Australian market for internet protocol television (IPTV) and internet video is less developed than many other international markets according to ACMA, with fewer than five IPTV providers and fifteen internet video providers offering full-length professional content directly to consumers.

In a report by ACMA, industry participants interviewed believed that IPTV and internet video will become more common in Australia with estimates ranging from 18 months to three years.

There are several supply-side factors acting as barriers for IPTV and internet video deployment. Internet video providers believed that capped plans for broadband access and the cost of down loads were important barriers to entry and consumer take-up.

Capital expenditure requirements were cited as a major barrier for potential IPTV deployments, although this may become less important with a national fibre to the node (FTTN) network rollout. The Australian market for internet protocol television (IPTV) and internet video is less developed than many other international markets, with fewer than five IPTV providers and fifteen internet video providers offering full-length professional content directly to consumers.

Overall, the development of IPTV and internet video is all part of the growing number of new online delivery methods, new types of content and engaged consumers are driving significant change in the media and communications industries.

Examples include the appearance of social networking websites, the rise of user-generated content and new online avenues for obtaining entertainment, including music, TV and film content and interactive games.

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