The number of IPTV Subscribers is projected to grow from 4.3 Million in 2005 to over 36.8 Million in 2009.

According to Multimedia Research Group (MRG), the number of IPTV subscribers will grow from 4.3 million in 2005 to 36.8 million in 2009, which is a compound annual growth rate of 72 percent. In their new IPTV Global Forecast - 2006 to 2009, MRG details the key factors that are contributing to or affecting the growth of the IPTV industry including:

• Europe is surging ahead with a large number of strong IPTV deployments that include France Telecom, Free, Neuf in France, Telefonica in Spain, FastWeb in Italy, and a number of strong competitive offerings in Scandinavia.
• Uncertainties in large carriers in North America and Asia holds the forecasts for these regions down.
• Europe should be the strongest IPTV market through 2009, with Asia catching up by the end of the forecast period.
• IP TV set-top boxes will dominate the capital spending for IPTV services and account for two-thirds of (cap-ex) spending.

MRG’s research shows that Europe is leading the market and has higher subscriber numbers than their previous forecast. Both Asia and North America have slipped a bit. Some IPTV service providers in Asia are having difficulty with marketing the service and as a result the market expectations for China have been reduced. The forecast for North America decreased due to a slower than expected rate of fiber deployment, especially with AT&T.

Figure 1 shows the global IPTV subscriber forecast from 2005 to 2009. This chart shows that the number of subscribers will grow from 4.3 million subscribers in 2005 to 36.8 in 2009. Europe and Asia currently lead the market in IPTV subscribers and that North America growth is expected to accelerate over the next 1-3 years.

The forecast shows that the market for IP TV services and equipment will be a strong one with strong opportunities in Europe, Asia, and North America. MRG expects growth to continue. In addition, the opportunity in the Rest of the World is becoming significant.

The set-top boxes and the access systems together account for 68 percent of the total spending over the forecast period. The other four product categories account for 34 percent of the total.

Figure 2 shows that the global IPTV service revenue forecast from 2005 to 2009. This chart shows that IPTV service revenue will increase from $740 million in 2005 to $4.6 billion in 2009 which is a compound annual growth rate of 56 percent.

Multimedia Research Group, Inc. publishes market analyses of new technologies for the digital media industries, and provides market intelligence and strategy consulting for its client companies. MRG was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.