Thursday, February 14, 2008

[The Chosun Ilbo, February 11 2008] IPTV Bets on Interactivity to Lure Customers

A way of beaming TV images onscreen through the Internet pipeline in lieu of traditional cabling, Internet protocol television or IPTV is billed as the hottest broadcast technology for 2008.

At the moment IPTV access in Korea is limited to video-on-demand service. But a special committee in the National Assembly has crafted a bill that would give viewers new access to real-time content like sports and dramas.

The introduction of so-called "two-way service," experts say, will open an era of personally-tailored TV blog-style broadcasting and TV banking. Using two-way service, viewers can even upload their own video clips and air their own shows.

The sky-high potential of IPTV has worked like a magnet to draw businesses looking for a stake in the new-generation visual platform.

Korean telecom giant KT is investing an average W130 billion (US$1=W942) a year in IPTV technology. And industry leader Hana TV has revamped its service to let viewers upload content in much the same way as they do on the Web.

Last month, Korea's second-largest Web portal, Daum, announced it will team up with Microsoft and Celrun to share IPTV know-how with the aim of launching service in Korea by July.

No comments: