There are all kinds of predictions surrounding IPTV, including it’s the future of television as we know it. Proponents argue that the power of IPTV, which at its core is choice, is undeniable and even unstopable. The argument being that once consumers get a taste, they won’t look back and any service provider who tries to maintain the status quo of content control will lose. This argument pits the cable industry and the telecom industry squarely against each other. Cable being the status quo and telecom being the potential provider of video choice.
It’s still too early to draw firm conclusions about winners and losers. Cable execs will tell you – we’re doing just fine, thank you very much. Telecom execs have a certain arrogance as well. Both think they have the winning strategy. The beauty of a free market dictates that consumers will ultimately decide. Both industries would do well to listen.
For more insight on this, read John Dvorak’s MarketWatch.com column.
