4.5 mln set top box subscribers by 2008, $231.3 mln industry

IPTV in China will experience only moderate adoption before it takes off in 2008, reports In-Stat. With the emergence of salient applications and a maturing technology, the market is expected to get a boost from the 2008 Olympics hosted by Beijing. This is expected to result in 4.5 mln subscribers and $231.3 mln in set top box (STB) revenue in 2008. In China, 360 mln TV users and over 20 mln broadband users give IPTV a huge potential subscriber base.

Nearly 90% of the total volume of set top boxes will be sold to end-users through bundling with carriers' service, with the remaining 10% being provided through traditional channels. Media groups like SMEG and EastTV have set up agreements with telecom carriers to develop specific IPTV content.