ANGA Cable – Cologne. German IPTV needs to increase awareness of the benefits to the viewers of this new technology, according to representatives of the three IPTV providers in the country.
Research shows that T-Home Entertain customers are now watching TV differently, Marc Schwarze, project leader IPTV, products & innovation, Deutsche Telekom told the audience at the IPTV session. On average just 4% of all viewers watch time shifted television, 2% on their PVR or video, 2% watch offline video. In T-Home enabled households 14% watch time-shifted, 2% use VOD, 9% their PVR and 2% view offline.
With around 200,000 IPTV homes, the new technology is not the success the three operators, Alice TV (Hansenet), Arcor and T-Home had hoped for. Just 12% of all Germans know what IPTV actually is, a further 19% have heard of the term, but have no idea what it stands for.
Michele Novelli of Hansenet said the company improved the Alice TV offer over the past few months with faster zapping times, an increase in the number of channels (now counting 115 and VOD titles now 1,200), a new look portal; and a better EPG. Also, the service is now available in 150 cities as compared with just ten a year ago.
Bernd Wirnitzer, head of department, online services IPTV, Arcor Digital TV said its Re-Start TV service is one that his customers want and also immediately understand. When they a find a programme they like that has already started, they can push a button to start viewing the programming fro the beginning. Of course broadcasters have to agree with the operator saving their programmes on a central server: of the 110 available channels only about 10% so far have agreed.
