Telcos in Latin America Seek Alternatives to IPTV to Meet Market Demand, Pyramid Research Finds

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts - IPTV will take a backseat to other pay-TV platforms as telcos seek alternative strategies to meet the significant market demand, according to a new report from Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com), the telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network (www.lightreading.com).

IPTV in Latin America: Not So Fast examines the market for pay-TV services in general and IPTV in particular in Latin America. The 18-page report analyzes the regulatory hurdles faced by IPTV and the progress telcos are making in introducing various pay-TV services, as well as the various strategies they employ to make the most of the opportunity in the face of significant challenges. The report cites more than 23 examples of pay-TV services and contains case studies of Telefonica and Telmex/America Movil that investigate their respective pay-TV strategies across the region. Download the excerpt of this report here: www.pyr.com/downloads.htm?id=5&sc=PR042209_INLA1v2

In recent years, telcos around the world have developed an attraction to the idea of IPTV as a new revenue source and competitive instrument. However, IPTV is simply not living up to expectations in Latin America. “Fewer than 0.1 percent of households in Latin America subscribed to IPTV at year-end 2008 and the technology had very few net additions during the year,” notes Derek Medlin, analyst at Pyramid Research and author of the report. “As the market has evolved, it has become evident that there is significant demand for pay-TV, which is pushing telcos to seek alternative strategies to meet this demand,” he says. “However, the reality is that the struggles on the front end have severely crippled adoption so far; regulatory issues are blockading IPTV altogether, or at least leading to deployment delays,” he adds.

Although pay-TV penetration remains anemic relative to the adoption of pay-TV in other regions, Pyramid believes this is due to a lack of supply rather than a lack of demand. “Recent initiatives from telcos and cable companies are catalyzing the market by thrusting a variety of pay-TV services into underpenetrated areas and market segments,” says Medlin. “As a result, adoption is taking off, making the low penetration levels an indicator of the growth potential, especially when gauged against the levels of adoption reached in other regions,” he explains.

“IPTV will have to take a backseat to other pay-TV platforms for the rest of the forecast period, becoming part of a lineup of pay-TV offerings rather than the sole telco service,” Medlin adds. In the future, Pyramid does not expect IPTV to break out of its niche until around 2012, when it will be approaching a 5 percent share of total pay-TV subscriptions. “Pyramid estimates that by 2014, the region will be home to more than 4.4 million IPTV subscriptions, which will reach 2.6 percent of all households,” he says.

IPTV in Latin America: Not So Fast is part of Pyramid Research’s Latin America Telecom Insider report series. Telecom Insiders are packed with trend analysis, industry best practices, market sizing and forecasting, competitor analysis, and case studies, providing you information you can leverage to make better business decisions.

Download the excerpt of this report here: www.pyr.com/downloads.htm?id=5&sc=PR042209_INLA1v2

IPTV in Latin America: Not So Fast is priced at US$595 and can be purchased online here: www.pyramidresearch.com/store/ins_la_090409.htm?sc=PR042209_INLA1v2 or by contacting Jeff Claudino via email at claudino@pyr.com or telephone at +1-619-229-9940.

About Pyramid Research

Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com) offers practical solutions to the complex demands our clients face in the telecommunications, media, and technology industries. Our analysis is uniquely positioned at the intersection of emerging markets, emerging technologies and emerging business models, powered by the bottom-up methodology of our market forecasts for over 100 countries — a distinction that has remained unmatched for more than 25 years. As the telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network, Pyramid Research works with Heavy Reading, providing the communications industry’s most comprehensive market data, trusted research, and insightful technology analysis.

About Light Reading

Founded in 2000, Light Reading (www.lightreading.com) is the leading online media, research, and focused event company serving the US$3 trillion worldwide communications market. Lightreading.com is the ultimate source for technology and financial analysis of the communications industry, leading the media sector in terms of traffic, content, and reputation. Light Reading’s research arms, Heavy Reading and Pyramid Research, provide the most comprehensive communications research, market data, and technology analysis in close to 100 markets around the world. Light Reading produces nearly 20 targeted communications events including TelcoTV, Ethernet Expo New York and Ethernet Expo London, The Tower Summit @ CTIA, and Optical Expo, as well as focused one-day events tailored for cable, mobile, and wireline executives. Light Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005 and operates as a unit of TechWeb.

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TechWeb (techweb.com/aboutus), the global leader in business technology media, is an innovative business focused on serving the needs of technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today, more than 13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in our communities created around our global face-to-face events, Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat, and VoiceCon; online resources such as the TechWeb Network, Light Reading, Intelligent Enterprise, InformationWeek.com, bMighty.com, and The Financial Technology Network; and the market leading, award-winning InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, MSDN Magazine, and Wall Street & Technology magazines. TechWeb also provides end-to-end services including next-generation performance marketing, integrated media, research, and analyst services. TechWeb is a division of United Business Media, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than US$2.5 billion.

*13.3 million business decision-makers: based on number of monthly connections

About United Business Media Limited

UBM (UBM.L) focuses on two principal activities: worldwide information distribution, targeting and monitoring; and, the development and monetization of B2B communities and markets. UBM’s businesses inform markets and serve professional commercial communities — from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewelry traders, from farmers to pharmacists — with integrated events, online, print and business information products. Our 6,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organized into specialist teams that serve these communities, bringing buyers and sellers together, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently. For more information, go to www.unitedbusinessmedia.com.

Press contact: Jennifer Baker +1-617-871-1910 jbaker@pyr.com

Source: Pyramid Research

Jennifer Baker for Pyramid Research, +1-617-871-1910, jbaker at pyr.com