TV and video competition is extending past traditional terrestrial, cable and satellite, to telecoms behemoths (IPTV) -- "When telcos with IPTV aspirations acknowledge the difficulty in competing with broadcasters for TV audience in sophisticated markets like the UK (where digital terrestrial, cable and satellite penetration is strong), and acknowledge VoD transactions need to be high volume/price to make a profit contribution (since networks require upgrades and media firms take around 60% of revenues), they may consider the provision of more niche content as a differentiator."
The global smartphone market closed 2025 with a story less about recovery and more about transformation. Premium product, ecosystem lock-in, and manufacturing scale are now the forces shaping competition. For business and technology leaders, the latest IDC market study data confirms that smartphones remain a critical indicator of consumer demand, supply chain health, and AI commercialization at the edge. Smartphone Market Development Global smartphone shipments grew 2.3 percent year-over-year in Q4 2025, reaching 336.3 million units and bringing full-year volumes to 1.26 billion units — a modest 1.9 percent annual increase, according to IDC. This smartphone growth emerged despite a memory shortage crisis, tariff volatility, supply chain disruption, and macroeconomic headwinds. What stabilized demand? Two factors: sustained growth in premium devices and strong foldable momentum, combined with accelerated purchases as consumers bought ahead of anticipated price increases. Buyers weren...