Advanced Television

TV software is key to unlocking pay-tv opportunities

October 17, 2012

Multimedia Research Group, a specialist in the Video and Media ecosystem, has published its Multiplatform TV Middleware and Applications report.

Pay TV has been on a collision course with the Internet for more than a decade, but not only has online delivery not yet cannibalised pay TV revenues to any great extent, it also has created a variety of new revenue opportunities for facilities-based service providers.

Norm Bogen, MRG’s VP of Global Research explains “Generally speaking, consumers are growing to expect the same experience on the TV that they receive from the Internet, and vice versa. From the content provider’s perspective, this must be done securely, in ways that respect existing content acquisition and distribution agreements.” Enter TV software and the technological advances required to enable new platforms.

Key findings from the study included:
– The 2010-2014 time-frame is a time of radical change, in which the very concept of “TV” is in flux.
– “IPTV” technologies are mature and are continuing to evolve in response to and in anticipation of these changes. Operators other than telcos are adopting technologies initially designed for telco IPTV.
– “Hybrid-IP TV” delivery is now the norm.
– Traditional (“policy-managed”) pay TV can now be blended seamlessly with Internet-sourced multimedia content.
– Second-screen control has become commonplace. The greatest barrier to second-screen viewing of the content itself is the content owner, not the technology.

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