IPTV as a viable delivery platform in Asia is now a reality. This year, we saw even more deployments across the region, from those moving into maturity to those emerging and realising IP based interactivity within their local markets. It has become apparent that a collective confidence is now emerging, through an understanding of the technology aspects and business practices necessary. With this confidence in place, and successful IPTV services now up and running, it has become hard to avoid the conclusion that IP-based multimedia is the future of entertainment delivery in Asia.

The number of broadband subscribers in Asia is expected to continue its growth at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 91% up to 2011. This accelerated growth will continue to fuel the prospect of when, rather than if the Asia IPTV market will overtake its more experienced European sibling. Along the way, special attention will continue to be focused on the implications of local and regional regulations, viable business modes, and quality of broadband services. All this with the end user in mind makes for a hot bed of debate as to how best for regional telcos, cable operators, ISP’s, and media owners to implement new delivery models, and exploit this new potential.

The IPTV World Forum Asia this year played host to the good, the bad and the ugly of the market’s development. Where are we now, and where are we heading? Up until now, IPTV operators have been playing catch-up, trying to force their way into the television business by offering the same thing, only better. But now, as media / communications trends are moving in their favour, they are introducing content mobility, and exploiting IP and IMS to enable cross platform services. Increasingly, it looks to be the IPTV service providers who will be setting the agenda.

Across Asia, network operators are evolving into service providers, and service providers into television companies, and some IP television companies into media giants.

From South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and Macao, who are all in the worlds top 20 countries with regards to broadband penetration, to the accelerated markets of China and India, the IPTV World Forum Asia highlighted and focused the route of this evolution, and how to best exploit it.

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