IPTV Catering to changing consumer demands.
Product developments are increasingly being fueled by changes in consumer tastes. People are looking for more targeted and smart entertainment. TV consumers want more options to view whatever they want and at convenient times. Collaboration over TV seems to be the next big thing. These demands are propelling the industry to provide newer services, develop more advanced hardware and create innovative applications to serve the diverse needs of the consumers.
Given the Right IPTV Features, Consumers Will Make the Switch
According to a global research study conducted by Microsoft and research firm Screen Digest, more than 60 percent of consumers in seven benchmark developed countries would consider switching TV service providers to obtain the features and content they want, at current market prices or higher.
The study found that the consumer segments most likely to switch TV providers are those that are time-constrained, with 43 percent actually watching less TV than the average household. Although these TV watchers are satisfied with their TV experience, they are looking for ways to maximize the enjoyment of their TV time, prioritizing convenience and ease of use over price. This finding debunks two other generally accepted assumptions -- that consumers who view a great deal of television are more likely to demand new services and that the more dissatisfied consumers are with their TV experience, the more likely they are to switch services.
Driven by economic growth and broadband adoption, China and India have the highest percentage of high-potential IPTV households.
"Old assumptions about this new TV market will need to be turned upside down to effectively build the customer base," said Christine Heckart, general manager, marketing, Microsoft TV Division.
http://www.tvover.net/2007/05/10/Given+The+Right+IPTV+Features+Consumers+Will+Make+The+Switch.aspx
Research conducted by Screen Digest for Microsoft suggests that there is a target audience of around 230 million people that might consider buying into IPTV or another pay TV service in seven top TV countries, and the software giant reckons that 75 million of them say they would switch TV suppliers if they have the right features and channels, especially those features, such as the DVR, which help people get back control of viewing times in their busy lives.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/05/10/iptv-survey/
Babelgum: A Joost Competitor From Italy
Joost is not the only peer-to-peer, full-screen, Internet TV platform that is about to launch. Another European startup called Babelgum is working on the same concept, and is getting ready to open up its beta on May 31. Today, there are 4,000 active users in a closed beta, and 15,000 more on a waiting list.
Babelgum is founded and backed by Italian billionaire Silvio Scaglia, recently sold his his Italian ISP Fastweb for $5 billion to Swisscom
Using a hybrid of P2P and Internet server technologies, Babelgum says it can deliver long-form video over the Web at TV-quality. "The browser was never designed to do this," says CEO Erik Lumer
http://blogs.business2.com/business2blog/2007/05/babelgum_a_joos.html
Bharti to launch set-top boxes for WiMAX, IPTV
Bharti TeleTech, part of Bharti Enterprises, is in the process of soon rolling out customer premise equipment (CPEs) and set-top boxes for Bharti’s WiMAX and IPTV services in near future.
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Presently, the manufacturer of Beetel telephones is investing over Rs 10 crore in R&D of rolling out specific CPEs and set-top boxes for their services. |
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Talking of R&D, Pawan Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer said, “We are into R&D of developing CPEs for WiMAX and set-top boxes for IPTV. Although introduction of IPTV services in the country is still sometime away, we want to be ready as far as equipment are concerned. We have therefore already invested more than Rs 10 crore and will be doing so as and when it is required.” |
http://www.business-standard.com/general/storypage_test.php?&autono=284119
Bill Gates and His Cloudy Crystal Ball
On television: "This is a subject I think about a lot, because it was actually about a little over 10 years ago that Microsoft first got involved in this idea of changing TV from being a simply broadcast medium to being a targeted medium (through its IPTV initiative). ... In order to have this be targeted, you cannot send it over the airwaves.
http://www.seattlest.com/archives/2007/05/09/bill_gates_and_his_cloudy_crystal_ball.php
