Bucking downward trends in the economy through aggressive deployments, IT market researchers predict that Internet protocol television – or “IPTV” – will grow more than 50 percent this year. According to international research firm Parks Associates, the number of subscribers worldwide to telco/IPTV services will approach 40 million by year-end 2009.

IPTV is a system where a digital television service is delivered using Internet Protocol over a network infrastructure, which may include delivery by a broadband connection. A general definition of IPTV is television content that, instead of being delivered through traditional broadcast and cable formats, is received by the viewer through the technologies used for computer networks.

The global recession has been a stumbling block in this market, yet strong growth in telco/IPTV services is predicted – partly due to aggressive provider deployments, according to the firm’s recent whitepaper, “IPTV and the Digital Home.” The most successful rollouts will incorporate multiple services, such as home networking, convergence in entertainment and communications features, and unique interactive services such as quality on-demand programming, industry experts say.

Parks Associates reports the number of telco/IPTV households worldwide grew by nearly 80 percent in 2008 to exceed 20 million. It is forecasted that the growth rate will exceed 50 percent in 2009. Japan is seeing greater deployments, however, the United States is projected to see a larger movement toward IPTV deployments, industry experts say, as more residences transition from cable to wireless.

From the article, "The Future of IPTV" by Erin E. Harrison.

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