It’s being hailed as the next true TV revolution. But will catch the public imagination? Both the telecoms companies and traditional broadcasters are betting it will.
At last week’s GlobalComm trade show in the US, telecommunications giant AT&T revealed that after a successful trial in San Antonio, it is planning to spend 4.6 billion dollars through 2008 in order to bring IPTV services to 19 million US homes. Both BT and Sky are rolling-out IPTV services in the UK this year.
Meanwhile in Japan, more than 10 million viewers have subscribed to the free Gyao Net TV service since it began in April 2005.
Like many IPTV startups, Gyao is funded by advertising. Material available for viewing includes news, dramas, variety shows and movies. Other Japanese broadcasters are chasing Gyao’s viewers.
Softbank Corporation has opened Yahoo! Doga, attracting 3.2 million registered viewers in its first month, while NTV competes with Dai-ni Nihon Terebi has around 300,000 registered viewers.