In 1994 ABC’s World News Now was the first television programme to be broadcast over the Internet. Today, India and China are the fastest growing markets with IPTV revenues forecast to hit US$38bn in 2013. Meanwhile, the BBC is using the IPTV model to enhance its traditional broadcast medium.
Internet Protocol television (IPTV) is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network (such as the Internet), instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal and cable television formats.
IPTV is defined as the secure and reliable delivery to subscribers of entertainment video and related services. These services may include, for example, live TV, video on demand (VOD) and interactive TV (iTV). It is distinguished from Internet television by its on-going standardisation process and preferential deployment scenarios in subscriber-based telecommunications networks, with high-speed access channels into end-user premises via set-top boxes.
While all major western countries and most developed economies have IPTV deployments, the world’s leading markets for IPTV used to be France, Germany, South Korea, US and Hong Kong, but China and India’s markets are expanding at a rapid rate, offering multiple services such as customers’ movies on demand, shopping online, video conferencing, media players and e-learning. They are mostly operated by mobile providers.
The number of global IPTV subscribers is expected to grow to 83 million in 2013. China’s subscriber base alone has now passed the 12 million mark.
Sensitive platform
IPTV is sensitive to packet loss and delays if the streamed data is unreliable. It has strict minimum speed requirements in order to facilitate the right number of frames per second to deliver moving pictures. This means that the limited connection speed and bandwidth available for a large IPTV customer base can reduce the service quality delivered.
A few countries have very high-speed broadband-enabled populations, such as South Korea with six million homes benefiting from a minimum connection speed of 100Mbit/s. But in other countries (such as the UK) legacy networks struggle to provide 3–5Mbit/s and so simultaneous provision to the home of TV channels, voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) and Internet access may not be viable, certainly such is the case here in South Africa.
The IPTV services are delivered across an access agnostic, packet switched network. In contrast to video over the public Internet, with IPTV deployments network security and performance are tightly managed to ensure a superior entertainment experience, resulting in a compelling business environment for content providers, advertisers and customers alike.
Companion experience
Interactivity is key to the whole IPTV experience and not necessarily via a single screen. For example, the BBC recently announced the launch of its first online companion experience. The head of IPTV and TV Online Content, BBC Vision, Victoria Jave released details of an online experience with the new series of Antiques Roadshow coming up in September. The experience will be available across smart phones, PC and tablet devices as well as the BBC Red Button and BBC Online.
Over the past 35 years Antiques Roadshow has had audiences shouting at their TVs, guessing the value of the antique items brought in by members of the public for valuation, and delighting in the stories that lie behind them.
Jave comments: “This year, we’re going to tap into that audience behaviour by offering a companion experience that combines the “Guess the value’ play-along (and compare your score), with the ability to go beyond broadcast to find out more about the antiques featured in the programme, with exclusive content and information drawn from across BBC Online and trusted sources from the wider web.
“We’re going to use familiar language and our trusted on-screen talent to welcome audiences into the experience. Playing alongside the live broadcast or on-demand, and at expert or amateur level, audiences choose from four value ranges for each antique item featured on the show. They make their valuation against the clock before the answer is revealed on the TV. If viewers need help in their valuation, they can see what others playing along are estimating using the “Ask the Nation’ function. At the end of each episode, audiences receive their final score, and find out how they ranked compared to the nation.’
The companion experience seems to be where most broadcasters are heading and in the BBC’s case, a shift to move with the technology instead of getting lost without it.
Over the next few months Screen Africa will investigate IPTV offerings and future potential in the South African market.
