Can telcos live without IPTV

Can Telcos Live Without IPTV?

Posted by Sam Churchill on November 28th, 2008

Ofcom’s international communications market report indicates that 15 per cent of UK homes were mobile-only in 2007 - an increase of two per cent on the year before. Ofcom said it expects the worldwide economic downturn, coupled with the rise of mobile broadband that gives people fat pipe access without the need to have a landline, to further depress landline uptake.

Speaking at the Informa Mobile, Broadband & TV Industry Outlook conference in London today, Julian Herbert, principal analyst at Informa, said: “Telcos probably are beginning to think they can’t live without it [IPTV] in the current circumstances.”

Blockbuster on Tuesday launched its own direct-to-TV player, taking on rivals Netflix and Apple TV in time for the holiday shopping season.

The player was built in partnership with 2Wire, a company that provides software and hardware for delivering Web content to home TVs. The 2Wire MediaPoint player makes it possible for Blockbuster subscribers with a high-speed Internet connection to rent videos online and play them on their home TV. To lure customers, Blockbuster is offering the player at no charge for people who rent 25 online Blockbuster movies in advance for $99. After the initial rentals, movies are available for prices starting at $1.99 each.

“The player is simple to use, delivers DVD quality video, and there’s no monthly subscription commitment,” Jim Keyes, chairman and chief executive of Blockbuster, said in a statement.

Console-affiliated media portals such as Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE and Sony’s PlayStation Network will soon become formidable competitors to incumbent PayTV services, says Research and Markets.

Netflix streams movies from the Internet to TV sets with the Netflix Player from Roku and by partnering to offer its streaming service via Xbox.

The LIVE Netflix service on Microsoft’s Xbox leverages broadband-enabled game consoles bypassing cable and satellite TV operators by providing a more immersive, interactive video experience. Samsung has announced that its BD-P2500 and BD-P2550 Blu-ray Players will have access to movies and TV shows via Netflix in HD via a firmware update.

Sling.com has two key properties. The first is a well-stocked video portal to streamable TV content from a plethora of partners, including: Hulu, CBS, Discovery, Warner Bros, Sony, MGM, A&E, etc.

Its Live TV content works with a Slingbox. Traditionally, these devices allow users to use a software client to remotely stream content that originates from their home. You can view it through IE or Firefox under Windows XP and Vista (Mac support is coming) or via mobile phone.

Qwest Communications announced this week that it is bringing back lower promotional pricing for its broadband services, with 1.5 Mbps DSL for $14.99 a month for a year (regularly priced at $39.99 a month) and Qwest Connect Platinum with up to 7 Mbps for $24.99 a month for a year (regularly priced at $49.99 a month) to new customers. Telephony magazine says it is an acknowledgement of two realities: First, that the broadband connection becomes more important to consumers during tough times, and second, that a telco losing a broadband customer may lose that customer for good.

source : dailywireless.org