IPTV Appeals to Some Early Adopters

Alan Breznick, Cable/Video Practice Leader, Light Reading

March 14, 2006

1 Min Read
IPTV Appeals to Some Early Adopters

The idea of IPTV is starting to catch on with early adopters, even though it's not really available anywhere yet. In a new survey released earlier today, Siemens Communications found that nearly one-fifth of early adopters would likely junk their cable or satellite TV provider if their phone company offered IPTV service. Specifically, the survey, conducted for Siemens by In-Stat, found that 18% of early adopters say they would "probably" or "definitely" switch from cable or satellite TV to their phone company if that company offered IPTV. More ominously for cable operators, another 34% of early adopters say they would follow these initial switchers if offered just a 10% price break on their TV bills. The survey also revealed that the planned IPTV services most in demand are time-shifted TV, video telephony/chat, video home surveillance and gaming. Time-shifted TV easily led the way among this group, with 90% of early adopters expressing interest in the service and 58% of this segment saying they would be willing to pay extra for it. Such other oft-mentioned IPTV services as caller ID on TV, interactive information, call logging and remote programming of TV also drew interest from early adopters. But the study respondents mostly said they wouldn't be interested in paying extra fees for these services.

About the Author(s)

Alan Breznick

Cable/Video Practice Leader, Light Reading

Alan Breznick is a business editor and research analyst who has tracked the cable, broadband and video markets like an over-bred bloodhound for more than 20 years.

As a senior analyst at Light Reading's research arm, Heavy Reading, for six years, Alan authored numerous reports, columns, white papers and case studies, moderated dozens of webinars, and organized and hosted more than 15 -- count 'em --regional conferences on cable, broadband and IPTV technology topics. And all this while maintaining a summer job as an ostrich wrangler.

Before that, he was the founding editor of Light Reading Cable, transforming a monthly newsletter into a daily website. Prior to joining Light Reading, Alan was a broadband analyst for Kinetic Strategies and a contributing analyst for One Touch Intelligence.

He is based in the Toronto area, though is New York born and bred. Just ask, and he will take you on a power-walking tour of Manhattan, pointing out the tourist hotspots and the places that make up his personal timeline: The bench where he smoked his first pipe; the alley where he won his first fist fight. That kind of thing.

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