Skip to main content

Blur Between Entertainment, Communications

The Hollywood Reporter has an insightful editorial by Andrew Wallenstein entitled "Mixing Media" that features how giant cable companies are duking it out with the nation's telcos to see who can provide the most comprehensive phone, broadband, video and mobile services to tech-savvy consumers.

Within the column, several industry analysts share their best estimates regarding the end-of-year telco IPTV penetration in the U.S. market. The results are very low -- with one predicting that telcos are projected to have far fewer than 1 percent of TV subscribers by year's end, and only 6 percent by 2009.

But the real action is still to come. What is known as a bundle today will seem primitive in a few years, when companies will combine not only the billing for multiple services but also the services themselves.

The Bells and Big Cable are intent on integrating the computer, phone and television in ways that will blur the boundary between entertainment and communications. That means customers won't simply watch their favorite TV channels on their mobile phones; soon enough, they'll be answering their phones through their TV sets.

"For a long time, the triple play of voice, video and data was going to be enough," says Matthew Davis, program director of consumer multiplay services at research firm IDC. "The problem is that the world is changing so fast that there's new complexities coming into it."

The implications of the quadruple play are not only being felt in the U.S. but also taking various shapes in Europe at such companies as France Telecom, which is marketing all four services under the Orange brand, and British cable provider NTL, which is expected to follow suit once its acquisition of Virgin Mobile is complete.

Popular posts from this blog

Open Banking Usage to Grow by 470 Percent

The Open Banking business model has been advantageous for Third-Party Providers (TPPs), helping them to extend their offerings into other areas of financial services with new capabilities. Open Banking is also advantageous for traditional banking institutions, despite the perceived loss of custodianship over their data, by providing greater accessibility to more bank services. Furthermore, Open Banking can help serve Mobile Internet providers that are able to leverage it to create tailored services according to customers’ preferences and/or economic limitations. Open Banking Market Development Since traditional banking services are made more convenient by TPPs via greater data access, customers can proactively manage their finances and shape the development of new financial offerings. This is particularly noticeable in the realm of Digital Payments, where retail merchants and customers transact through eCommerce, which has the greatest number of use cases for Open Banking. These includ

Global Digital Business and IT Consulting Outlook

Across the globe, CEOs and their leadership teams continue to seek information and guidance about planned Digital Transformation initiatives and the most effective enterprise organization change management practices. Worldwide IT and Business Services revenue will grow from $1.13 trillion in 2022 to $1.2 trillion in 2023 -- that's a 5.7 percent year-over-year growth, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). The mid-term to long-term outlook for the market has also increased -- the five-year CAGR is forecast at 5.2 percent, compared to the previous 4.9 percent. Digital Sevices & Consulting Market Development IDC has raised the growth projection despite a weak economic outlook, because of vendor performances across 2022, growth indicators from adjacent markets, increased government funding, and inflation impacts. The actual 2022 market growth was 6.7 percent (in constant currency), which was 87 basis points higher than forecast last year, alth

Mobile Device Market Still Awaiting Recovery

The mobile devices market has experienced three years of unpredictable demand. The global pandemic, geopolitical pressures, supply chain issues, and macroeconomic headwinds have hindered the sector's consistent growth potential. This extremely challenging environment has dramatically affected both demand and supply chains. It has led to subsequent inflationary pressures, leading to a worsening global cost of living crisis suppressing growth and confidence in the sector. In tandem, mobile device industry stakeholders have become more cautious triggering market uncertainties. Mobile Device Market Development Operating under such a backdrop, the development of mobile device ecosystems and vendor landscapes have been impacted severely. Many of these market pressures persisted throughout 2022 and now into 2023, borne chiefly by the smartphone market. According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, worldwide smartphone shipments in 2022 declined 9.6 percent Year-over-Year