Global IPTV penetration rate to top 10 pct in 5 years

The global penetration rate of Internet protocol television (IPTV) is expected to surpass 10 percent in five years as more households watch TV shows delivered through broadband Internet networks, an industry report said Tuesday. According to the report by Digital TV Research Ltd., the number of IPTV subscribers will hit 155 million in 2016, more than quadruple the 35 million users at the end of last year. The number will push up the global IPTV penetration rate, the portion of IPTV homes within the households that own a TV, to 10.5 percent in 2016 from 2.6 percent at the end of 2010. The British research company said that Asia, and China in particular, will be the region to see the IPTV market grow at the fastest clip. Out of the 120 million IPTV subscribers to be added in the next five years, 85 million will be residents of Asian countries. China's number of IPTV viewers will surge more than 10 times from last year to 70 million in 2016, the report said. The global IPTV market will also grow sharply in terms of revenues, generating US$17 billion in 2016, compared with $6 billion in 2010, it said.