It is only recently that IPTV has begun to emerge as a viable business market. Recent developments in compression technologies and bandwidth availability have combined to make the prospect of extensive deployments a reality. A recent report by iSupppli predicts that the number of IPTV subscribers worldwide will reach 63 million by 2010 (a staggering Compound Annual Growth Rate of 92.1 percent from 2.4 million in 2005) creating a $27 billion marketplace.

The IBC2008 IPTV Zone will bring together many organisations and technologies emerging as major forces in this new market.

An accompanying programme of IBC Business Briefings will examine some of the issues and opportunities arising from the emergence of IPTV as a major force in more detail. Who will be the winners and losers as this market develops and what will be the impact on traditional broadcast technologies and organisations? How will IPTV services be differentiated and content delivery managed?

The IBC 2008 IPTV Zone runs from 12 - 16 September within the IBC at the RAI, Amsterdam. It is being jointly developed and marketed by IBC and IT Europa/BPL Business Media. For more information go to www.ibc.org