Open IPTV and Operator-Owned Middleware
PurchaseIPTV worldwide is thriving in today’s telecommunications environment. Telecommunications companies (or telcos – those historically delivering telephone services) have launched TV services, leveraging both twisted pair copper (DSL) technologies, especially with fiber to the node (FTTN), and pure fiber, fiber to the building (FTTB), or fiber to the home (FTTH) technologies. The penetration and role of IPTV worldwide varies greatly; Western Europe already has about 15% IPTV subscribers (led by France and Scandinavian countries), while North America is at 4% and Asia-Pacific at 3%. However, this picture will change rapidly in the coming years.
Multiple models exist for IPTV services, including Premium IPTV Services, which seek to offer better interactive experiences compared to their cable or satellite peers, Hybrid IPTV services, leveraging existing broadcast ecosystems (notably, satellite or terrestrial) while offering premium bundles or VOD catalogs over IP, and light IPTV services, which can also enable telcos to deliver services off-net and may signal the start of a la carte, or unbundled, TV services.
The IPTV middleware market is rapidly evolving -- with system integrators (SI) such as Cisco, Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei, and ZTE playing an important role in integration and deployment. In some cases, these SI providers also develop the subscriber experience -- including the components of the experience residing on the set-top box. More commonly, however, classic middleware suppliers, such as Microsoft Mediaroom, Viaccess-Orca, Nagra-OpenTV, or Netgem have a role in shaping the delivery philosophy and experience.