(26 November 2009 8:30 pm)

MUMBAI: The subscriber base of IPTV in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow by 51 per cent this year closing at 9.4 million users and accounting for 37.6 per cent of the global subscribers, reveals research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.

A new analysis from Frost & Sullivan titled 'Asia-Pacific IPTV Update' finds that the IPTV subscriber base in the region would grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.6 per cent between 2009 and 2014 and, by the end of 2014, would climb to an estimated 23.5 million subscribers.

In 2008, only eight Asia-Pacific territories had commercial IPTV offerings namely India, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and Singapore and subscribers stood at 6.27 million.

Vietnam launched IPTV services this year while countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand are expected to roll out IPTV services in the next 12 months, with a launch in the Philippines slated for 2011.

Says Frost & Sullivan industry analyst Adeel Najam, ""The key considerations for IPTV's success are broadband penetration levels and low pay-TV presence."

Najam believes that as much as 62 per cent of the IPTV subscriber net additions from now until 2014 will come from emerging markets like India, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines.