A new forecast from ABI Research concludes the number of IPTV subscribers worldwide will reach more than 90 million by the end of 2013, up from about 13.5 million in 2007.
The research firm expects to see “particularly substantial growth in North America and most emerging markets,” said company senior analyst Cesar Bachelet. Until recently only a few Canadian operators and smaller rural/regional operators in the United States have offered IPTV services in North America. However, in 2007, Verizon and AT&T began to achieve some scale in their fiber deployments. IPTV growth in the United States is closely linked to those large fiber rollouts, according to ABI Research.
In Asia, regulatory issues and low broadband penetration in key markets has impeded IPTV growth, but the research firm anticipates vigorous growth in the future as those issues are gradually resolved.
While Western Europe has a comparatively well-developed IPTV market, especially in countries such as France, there is room for growth in several large markets with relatively low penetration rates, including in Germany and the U.K., according to the research firm.
ABI Research made its forecast in “Global IPTV Markets,” which covers key IPTV operators and vendors on a global basis.
For information, visit www.abiresearch.com.