Letter: Ignore IPTV and focus on the real market

I agree with Guy Phillipson (NMA 24.08.06) that the promise of IPTV in offering personalised and interactive TV is, in theory, very exciting. But, according to the latest Datamonitor report, an established UK IPTV service with mass reach is at least 5 years away. So, for the moment, it remains very theoretical.

The reality of UK IPTV today is HomeChoice, with 45,000 subscribers, and the forthcoming BT Vision. It is yet to be seen whether Tiscali can reverse HomeChoice’s fortunes and if BT can reinvent itself as an “entertainment facilitator.” But, in any case, it seems clear that IPTV will be a walled garden with a tollgate and designated user footpaths. It will be a “vision” far removed from the “free-to-roam” culture of the user-centric Internet.

So it’s worth pointing out that there are existing online advertising networks which can deliver motion picture brand advertising, e.g. interactive with call-to-actions, to a mass Internet audience whilst offering individual and vertical consumer-sector targeting. Advertisers should let IPTV sort itself out and focus instead on today’s real, and ever expanding, Internet consumer market.

David Michael
Strategic Business Development Manager
Utarget plc