The number of global IPTV subscriptions at the end of 2011 stood at 60 million, with the last quarter witnessing the biggest ever increase in customer numbers.
Data produced by Point Topic also shows that global ARPU for IPTV increased by just under 2% in 2011, with total revenues up by over 30%. Point Topic notes that IPTV as a service is very important to operators.
Indeed, it is the ‘stickiest’ of residential services and is a necessity for most ISPs, offering them the best opportunity at the moment of increasing revenue.
Commenting on the findings, Oliver Johnson, CEO of Point Topic, said: “The year end is often the strong quarter but in combination with the global recovery in consumer spending and the will and technical ability to deliver a service, IPTV is really starting to find the sweet spot.”
He concluded by saying: “Offering the right bundles for their consumers in a particular market, signing the right deals and maintaining a customer base in the face of global competition will be the mark of a successful ISP in the next few years. Get it wrong and they won’t see growth, get it right and their prize will be an income base worth several multiples of its yearly value.”