U.S. earns IPTV bragging rights

For most service providers deploying IPTV in 2008, the move was a defensive play to combat incumbent cable and satellite providers. Still, the global market for IPTV made steady progress all year and the U.S. — a traditional IPTV laggard — is holding its own, according to a recent report from Informa Telecoms and Media.

Informa estimates that the number of IPTV homes worldwide will triple between the end of this year and the end of 2013, reaching 57 million. While this only represents 4% of global TV homes, it's three times the number of homes served today. In the global rankings, the U.S. has climbed from third with just 311,000 homes in 2005 to second behind France with 3.1 million homes in 2008, and Informa predicts it will attract 9.9 million homes by 2013, outpacing France and coming in second only to clear-cut leader China.

The U.S. is the only market where video-on-demand has been a proven technology, which report author Simon Murray linked to movie theater attendance. IPTV also has gotten off the ground as part of the triple-play bundle of broadband, TV and wireline services, but it still faces an uphill battle to become a true revenue generator.