IPTV has not been the disruptive technology many predicted and would remain a niche service, according to Colin Mann, managing editor of IPTV International. Speaking at the NetEvents forum in Barcelona, Mann said uptake had not been impressive in most territories and "IPTV will continue to be a niche product in many markets." According to a report in Vnunet, Mann said he had earmarked IPTV as a "disruptive technology" two years ago, but the "only thing it has disrupted is people's viewing pleasure".
On the same panel, Neil Anderson, vice president of global services at Spirent, said the technology is being held back by consumer ignorance. "The providers do not understand the architecture and the design required to support the quality of experience that customers are used to," Anderson said.
A recent small survey in New York sponsored by Websedge also backs up findings of poor knowledge about IPTV. The survey of 225 residents found more than half (54%) of respondents were not familiar with the term 'IPTV' or 'web-based TV', and only a fifth (20%) had seen an IPTV show or program that was not YouTube, though a huge majority (92%) had watched videos on YouTube. Websedge CEO Stephen Horn said this showed it was not just a technology gap holding back IPTV: "The more salient challenge is that there's also a knowledge gap to help consumers to understand the full benefits that can be realized by IPTV programming."
For more:
- IPTV a niche service Article
- N.Y. survey: IPTV unknown Release
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