IPTV operators in the US are turning up the heat with multiscreen TV, content discovery and social networking, according to market research firm Infonetics Research.
The company concludes this from its 2012 IPTV Service Deployment Strategies: Global Service Provider Survey, for which service providers currently providing IPTV network services were interviewed to assess their needs and to analyse trends in the IPTV market.
“Because it’s so challenging to differentiate on content, pay-TV providers are looking to stand out from their competitors by offering additional services and features, such as multiscreen viewing, social networking, and content discovery and recommendation services,” said Jeff Heynen, directing analyst for broadband access and video at Infonetics Research.
Heynen added: “In particular, multiscreen video—“TV Everywhere” to some—is gaining momentum across all pay-TV operator types (cable, satellite, and IPTV) in all regions: 83% of the operators we interviewed plan to offer some type of multiscreen viewing—PC, smartphone, tablet—by 2013.”
Operators participating in Infonetics survey most often deliver linear broadcast TV over a pure IP network. The majority of IPTV service providers interviewed do not currently support video streaming services such as YouTube, Hulu, or Netflix
Only one-third of IPTV operators surveyed currently offer social networking capabilities for the TV
Subscription video on demand (S-VOD) is the money-maker among VOD offerings; 83% of respondents offer S-VOD for access to premium channels such as HBO, Showtime, and Starz, and libraries of first-run movies today, growing to 89% in 2013.
