IPTV@IBC2010 special report


Dr. Giles Wilson, head of technology, solution area TV, Ericsson, looks at the opportunities IP offers in delivering a multi-screen experience.


Harnessing the


power of IP O


ver the last decade, Pay- TV platform operators have adapted their technologies and business models to incorporate digital TV,


interactivity, video on-demand, HDTV and now even 3D TV. Not surprisingly, most of these innovations have been focused on the home television set - which is where the TV industry has traditionally made its living. The changes during the next 10 years will be equally exciting - and possibly even more significant. This is because television delivery has started to converge over fixed and mobile broadband networks, blending entertainment and communications into a cohesive service. Viewers will be offered Internet-sourced video alongside traditional television and VOD as part of an increasingly personalised TV experience. Consumers buy content and services, not technologies. They don’t care about, or buy, access technology. Great television packages and experiences are what sells. Increasingly, telecoms companies


Dr. Giles Wilson, head of


technology, solution area TV, Ericsson.


are looking for ways to achieve instant scale so they can negotiate more favourable terms for content, and so build better value packages. This then drives more subscriber acquisition, creating a virtuous circle. This explains the growing interest in hybrid platforms, where one-way satellite or digital terrestrial television (DTT) signals are combined with two- way IP networks.


Additionally, advances in screen and graphics technologies, combined with the increasing ubiquity of broadband access, means that many devices now exist in consumers’ homes, offices, cars, pockets and purses which are capable of displaying TV pictures. Increasingly, those consumers will also expect to be able to purchase and view TV content in a consistent and seamless manner as they move between these different diverse devices.


By harnessing broadcast networks, IPTV providers can achieve national coverage overnight for services that include ‘over-the-air’ broadcast channels and also provide managed IP video on- demand. Progressive VOD download


S28 l ibe l OFFICIAL GUIDE TO IPTV@IBC2010 september/october 2010 l www.ibeweb.com


means TV services can be offered to broadband customers even in rural locations. Some broadcast channels can be multicast across the IP network. This could include local or regional content that helps differentiate the service. IPTV providers can make use of local DTT services for broadcast TV or, more significantly, partner with or acquire satellite TV platforms. Importantly, they are not the only ones seeking change. Satellite Pay-TV platforms have a major challenge that also requires new thinking. They need to deliver true VOD and growing volumes of catch-up TV with the big-screen quality that can only be achieved today, and for the foreseeable future, through a managed-network on- demand infrastructure.


Irrespective of their heritage, TV service providers can deliver a TV experience that spans multiple screens far more efficiently and effectively than one that consumers could create for themselves using multiple video sources. By harnessing their unique strengths and industry insight and exploiting new technology platforms, they can quickly introduce


Continued on Page S30.


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