IPTV Thriving in the Gulf States while still in its Early Stages in the Rest of the Arab World
Amman, Jordan, February 6, 2014-- A new report from Arab Advisors Group provides an overview of the IPTV services in the Arab world by IPTV is in its initial stage of penetration in the Arab World, and is still developing, according tho the report.
Fourteen service providers in nine countries in the Arab World offered IPTV services by October 2013, up from eleven service providers in eight countries offering IPTV by yearend 2011. These countries are: Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
As broadband adoption increases in the region, several operators in the Arab World have plans to implement IPTV in the near future. In the GCC countries; including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE, FTTH expansion has triggered strong demand for Triple Play services.
The adoption of IPTV is flourishing in the GCC countries in particular; by September 2013 STC managed to increase its IPTV subscription base by 76% over the corresponding period of 2012. The markets in UAE and Qatar also registered strong uptake of IPTV services; for example Ooredoo’s triple play accounts jumped from 31,873 by yearend 2010 to 88,398 by September 2013; a growth of 177%.
Reportedly, there are ongoing or planned projects by service providers and/or governments in six other countries, with the aim to upgrade the countries’ legacy networks and install fiber optics to facilitate offering services including IPTV in the near future. These countries are: Algeria, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania and Tunisia.
“As broadband Internet adoption expands in the Arab world, IPTV becomes a viable option for entertainment. By October 2013, there were fourteen service providers in nine countries in the Arab World offering commercial IPTV services. Moreover, there are ongoing or planned projects by service providers and/or governments in six other countries“, Ms. Rawan Awwad, Arab Advisors' Research Analyst wrote in the report. “The competition among IPTV service providers within the same country pushes its offered features into frequent upgrades and improvements, which makes the user’s TV viewing experience more flexible and interactive”, Ms. Awwad added.
For more information go to: IPTV in the Arab World 2014
