Future Now
The IFTF Blog
Add to Watchlist: IPTV Battles in South Korea
South Korea broadband providers are getting set to launch IPTV early next year, with strong support from the government. However, incumbent broadcasters, and especially cable companies, are freaking out. This is one to watch, as the U.S. ought to get there in 3-5 years.
Korea's leading broadband operators including KT and Hanaro Telecom plan to launch the Web TV services next year, but the offerings will suffer start-up glitches caused by strong opposition by broadcasters, who are wary of large-sized telecom firms' reach into their markets.
Despite the roadblocks, market observers claim that IP TV will eventually become the mainstream solution for video-on-the-move services through its rivalry with currently dominant over-the-air broadcasters.
"It will be a time of when, not if, IP TV becomes the No.1 broadcast medium, although there are some setbacks in the canvassing stage," said Stan Jung, an analyst at Woori Securities.