Idhries Ahmad
IPTV both as a technology as well as service is wonderful. IPTV allows operators to boost their ARPU’s (Average Revenue Per User), allows consumers to pick and choose what they want to see, advertisers the medium to reach their audiences effectively.
All the requisite ingredients to make IPTV as service that will transform the broadcast landscape of any country in few years. Not surprisingly all the major players in India have jumped into the IPTV bandwagon and are planning roll out of their IPTV on a commercial scale less than a year from now.
MTNL, BSNL are excited about their roll out and so is Reliance. Not to be left out Airtel is also doing trail roll out of its services.
Content providers like Times Broadband, IOL and Aksh Broadband are giving finishing touches to their content plans before they make official their content offerings.
But how justified is the noise around IPTV? Has the Indian market reached a critical mass that it is ready for service like IPTV? Will operators be able to get return on their investments from a service like IPTV, and will existing competition from cable, DTH and satellite make life easier for the new entrant?
