The European region is the earliest, relatively fast and mature region for IPTV business development. A detailed analysis of the IPTV business carried out by telecom operators in various European countries reveals that although they consider IPTV business as a new revenue increasing channel, they have their own strengths in the specific deployment and promotion process when launching television business based on the national conditions and characteristics of each country. The various forms of business structure design, flexible and variable tariff standards, and a wide range of content provision all provide a good reference and reference for telecom operators to carry out IPTV business.
Years and major operators of IPTV market entry in some European countries and regions
britain:
British Telecom officially launched the BTVision service in December 2006, which combines the convenience of traditional television services with the interactivity of broadband services. Customers can choose TV programs according to their time and preferences. BTVision provides users with 30 free channels, including popular channels such as famous animation, National Geographic, and entertainment; The entertainment library provides a large number of movies, comedies, and music for video on demand; Video programs can be played back at any time; Customers who choose BT for all broadband services can receive a free £ 199 set-top box that provides 80 hours of storage space and supports high-definition TV formats. BTVision does not charge a monthly rental fee, but customers are required to pay £ 60 installation fee and £ 30 connection fee for BTVision business. The first batch of connected users for BTVision was 50000, and BT plans to provide services to 600000 users one year after its business launch. According to a recent survey released by ScreenDigest, the UK IPTV market is expected to experience its largest growth in 2007, and by the end of this year, UK IPTV subscribers will reach 2.5 times their current level.
In terms of content provision, BT actively collaborates with major media companies. BT has signed contracts with Warner Records in the United States, EMAP in the UK, Sony BMG, and others to obtain authorization to use music videos in IPTV services. In addition, BT has signed a contract with interactive product company Bidirectional Television to provide gaming channels for users. BT Telecom plans to launch sports professional services through a partnership with Setanta Sports Channel in the summer of 2007.
Germany:
In August 2006, Deutsche Telekom launched the T-Home three in one service. This business includes video on demand, single price broadband access and network phone, 60 free TV channels, as well as other paid channels and video recording. Deutsche Telekom stated that the price of the packaged service ranges from 60.84 to 90.84 euros. Deutsche Telekom focuses on enriching its content resources, including signing contracts with several major film producers.
At present, Deutsche Telekom has installed high-speed broadband networks based on VDSL technology in 10 major cities, providing T-Home services on top of this, with 3 million households covered by this service. The company's plan is to promote T-Home to 40 other cities through the promotion of the "three in one" feature, covering 6 million households.
At the beginning of 2007, Deutsche Telekom announced that it would invest 3 billion euros in the next few years to develop fiber optic access networks in Germany, providing faster internet access services for residential users, and achieving the integration of high-definition television, wireless communication, and internet access. Deutsche Telekom plans to develop 1 million IPTV users by the end of 2007. To ensure the smooth achievement of this goal, T-Com has invested 500 million euros in the construction of VDSL broadband network infrastructure, connecting 10 major cities in Germany through the internet, allowing users to access 50Mbit/s of internet speed even through high-resolution television.
France:
France Telecom launched the MagneTV service at the end of 2003. This service requires the configuration of an ADSL modem, which can provide wireless internet access, video phone services, and can also connect to a digital TV set-top box to provide network access. France Telecom's IPTV business mainly provides real-time television and VOD.
Starting from the fourth quarter of 2005, France Telecom adjusted its business model and launched the "France Telecom TV Package" to provide users with a "one-stop" IPTV service. By June 2006, the service had covered most cities in France with over 300000 users. So far, the Ma SigneTV business has 2 million users.
According to a survey by ScreenDigest, IPTV subscribers across Europe will increase from 2.9 million last year to 5.6 million in 2007, and subscription fees will increase from 470 million euros to 1 billion euros. Among them, nearly a million new subscribers will come from France.
Italy:
Fastweb, an Italian fixed line operator, began operating its IPTV business in 2002. By June 2005, Fastweb had nearly 190000 IPTV users, becoming the largest IPTV operator in Europe and the world's first profitable IPTV operator.
One-third of Fastweb TV's revenue comes from video on demand services. Its television programs include 20 free channels, 40 paid channels, and numerous on-demand programs to choose from. It also provides a web-based program recording function, allowing users to record programs produced by major Italian broadcasting and television companies and watch them when they have free time. The program content of VOD is divided into 14 thematic channels, with over 700 Hollywood films and thousands of other programs available for on-demand broadcasting. Fastweb has also launched a series of music services, including on-demand music videos and a comprehensive collection of music works over the years. In addition, online games are also an important business. This service charges 5 euros per month. In addition to paying a basic broadband fee of 887 euros per year, IPTV users also need to spend an additional average of 315 euros per program subscriber on the TV program.
Belgium:
Belgium Telecom has been conducting small-scale experiments on IPTV services since the end of 2004, investing a total of 300 million euros in fiber optic network construction. After preparing for the network and content, Belgian Telecom began to fully launch the BelgacomTV television service in September 2005. As of November 2005, BelgacomTV had 20000 users and provided over 60 TV programs. Belgium Telecom also collaborated with three major Hollywood production companies, DreamWorks, Paramount, and Warner Bros., to launch a video on demand service that includes over 300 movies. This brand has a classic+channel business, including 61 channels including BBC and Discovery, football and theme channels, and VOD business. At the same time, it can provide services such as PVR, time-shifted TV, interactive TV (opinion polls, voting, online games, etc.), TV online services (weather forecasts, astrology, real estate reports, SMS, government announcements, etc.), and parental control. The monthly fee is 9.95 euros. Belgian Telecom provides on-demand movie services through cooperation with film companies, ranging from 2 to 3.5 euros per film. At present, the number of IPTV service users of Belgium Telecom has reached 140000.