US IPTV Subscriptions Quadrupled In 2007; Not Taking Away From Satellite (Yet): iSuppli
This story was written by Joseph Weisenthal.
Halfway through 2008, iSuppli is out with its assessment of the IPTV market for 2007. IPTV sometimes gets used for all kinds of things, though in this case they're talking about the advanced internet services from the likes of Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and AT&T (NYSE: T). The basic numbers: North American IPTV subscriber rolls were up almost fourfold to 1.2 million. Across North and South America, total IPTV subscribers totalled nearly 1.8 million. As for the forecast, iSuppli isn't breaking down its North America-only numbers, but it expects that in North and South America, total subscribers will grow ten-fold by 2011 to 17.7 million.
Besides the numbers, the firm's takeaway is that IPTV isn't cutting into satellite TV providers just yet. However going into this year, the tension will escalate as satellite providers increasingly compete with their previous partners. Think: The relationship between DISH and AT&T, which may be souring. As for whether IPTV is hurting cable operators, we know that there's been talk of pressure in the past. This particular report, however, doesn't get into it, saying that for the most part IPTV subscribers are new additions to the pay-TV marketplace. Given the estimated growth though, that can't last.
By Joseph Weisenthal