South Korea IPTV Grows with Fewer Govt Controls

In recent published reports, the South Korean Government has removed strict controls on IPTV content available for broadcast to its citizens.  The previous requirement that only Korean majority owned companies could provide IPTV content for broadcast has been eliminated.

This breath of fresh air comes at a time when the South Koreans are experiencing a surge in IPTV subscriptions.  Press releases indicate that the current total IPTV subscriber base exceeded the 700,ooo user milestone with more than 100,000 new subs in the month of August.  Current take rates are said to be growing daily and are now pegged at 7,000 per day according to an article in IPTV News.

To prevent churn, service providers (KT, SK Broadband and LG Dacom) must assure viewers that fresh content will be available once the novelity of the new delivery platform wears off.

Once again, governments are finding that putting content controls in place results in limited content availability for their citizens and can prevent the adoption and growth of new delivery technologies.  New delivery platforms must be allowed to flourish in an atmosphere where the market winners and losers are determined by the viewing public, not by government edict.

Keep pushing forward

Jeff Vinson

jeff_vinson@sbcglobal.net

[You may contact Jeff directly for consulting and tradeshow speaking engagements]