IPTV and Cable TV Subscribers on Diverging Paths

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[Via Satellite 11-08-13] Infonetics Research released excerpts from its second edition “Pay TV Subscriber Database,” which tracks the cable video, satellite video and telco IPTV subscribers of more than 140 service providers around the world.

“Cable TV and IPTV subscriptions in North America and EMEA continue to move in opposite directions,” said Jeff Heynen, principal analyst for broadband access and pay TV, Infonetics Research. “While telcos saw healthy quarter-over-quarter gains in IPTV subscribers in both regions in the first quarter of 2013, cable video subscribers fell off yet again.”

Some of the strongest growth for IPTV is occurring in the Middle East and in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the research firm. IPTV subscribers for Etisalat, du and Saudi Telecom grew 42 percent year-over-year in 1Q13. In Malaysia Telekom’s subscriber base soared 68 percent in one year. From the fourth quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2013, IPTV subscribers grew more than 6 percent worldwide, while cable video subscribers declined around 1 percent.

The top five IPTV providers by subscribers are, as ranked by Infonetics Research, China Telecom, Orange, Iliad Group, Verizon and AT&T – together accounting for 43 million subscribers in 1Q13. Meanwhile, during this period, the top five cable TV providers – Comcast, Guangdong Cable TV, Jiangsu Cable TV, Shandong Cable TV and Zhejiang Cable TV – netted 93 million subscribers combined.