One in Four UK Consumers Very Interested in IPTV Services

Nov. 14, 2011 - PRLog -- A new ISPreview.co.uk survey of 590 broadband users in the United Kingdom (*) has revealed that 57% are "interested" (28% have "average" interest and 29% were "very" interested) in the new generation of broadband ISP based internet television (IPTV) services that are due to launch next year. Furthermore 47% admitted to already having some form of "pay TV" service (e.g. Sky).

Most of the new services are expected to be based off the subscription-free, video-on-demand and catch-up TV platform, YouView  (formerly Project Canvas) **, which has the backing of several major Joint Venture partners including the BBC, ITV, BT, Channel 4, TalkTalk, Arqiva and Channel 5. The service could give established media giants, such as Sky and Virgin Media, a run for their money.

However, when asked what is the "most important" aspect for any new IPTV service to get right, "Affordable Price" came first (36%) and was followed closely by "Good Content" (28%). Other issues of importance, such as "Service Performance / Support" (18%) and "Video Quality" (18%), were rated lower but all held a good share of the vote. The success of any new UK IPTV service is thus inferred to depend upon an attractive line-up of content and a competitive price, yet ISPreview.co.uk claims that those aren't the only issues in need of consideration.

"The UK's broadband infrastructure is currently far from ideal for such a service," warned ISPreview.co.uk's Founder, Mark Jackson. "Any new IPTV product is bound to require a good internet connection, which is something that a significant portion of consumers simply do not have. Related services will also eat a lot of bandwidth and any ISP offering such a product will need to ensure that they have adequate capacity and can provide an exception for IPTV traffic. Customers should never be penalised for using a service that the ISP itself promotes."

"The next problem is that many devices, such as internet connected TV's and games consoles, already come with limited video and TV streaming solutions built-in and that will make it much harder for IPTV operators to deliver an attractive proposition. Not to mention the fierce competition from established rivals like Sky and Virgin Media. The good news is that the country's broadband infrastructure is on a path of improvement but there's still a long way to go. Getting the price and content of IPTV right is only half the battle," concluded Jackson.

*  Survey conducted between mid-October and November 2011 with UK internet users.

** http://www.youview.com