Cord cutting might be as real as many analysts and market researchers insist, but, at least according to Digital TV Research's "Global IPTV Forecasts," IPTV will hold its own over the next six years. The increases in IPTV subscriber numbers will continue a trend that saw worldwide subscriber numbers grow from 13 million in 2008 to 69 million in 2012 and, the researchers predict, to 167 million in 2018.
"This means that IPTV penetration will exceed 10 percent of TV households by 2013, more than double the 2012 figure and up from only 1 percent in 2008," Simon Murray, the report's author said in a press release. "IPTV revenues (from subscriptions and on-demand) will grow to $21.3 billion by 2018, up from 12 billion in 2012 and $2.8 billion in 2008.
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Source: Digital TV Research |
For U.S. consumers looking for an alternative to cable and satellite, however, the news isn't quite as good. The report predicted that U.S. numbers will only climb from just under 10 million in 2012 to nearly 14 million in 2018. This is a drop in the bucket compared to China, where the numbers will grow from 23 million and change to 76 million.
The U.S., though, will remain in second place among the top five IPTV countries for subscribers following China but ahead of France, South Korea and Russia which will ascend to fifth place replacing Japan in 2018.
Interestingly, the report continued, the U.S. will remain the largest IPTV revenue earner with 30 percent of subscriber revenue take in 2018, although this is down from 40 percent in 2008.
For more:
- Digital TV Research issued this press release (.pdf)
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