On Dec 12, the one-year anniversary of the launch of Internet Protocol television (IPTV), which has been hailed as the driver of interactive services and a next-generation growth engine, was celebrated with fanfare. The number of subscribers to IPTV services provided by KT, SK Broadband and LG Telecom topped 1.5 million.
At the celebration of the one-year anniversary of IPTV, held at COEX in Samsung-dong, the Korea Communications Commission and Korea Digital Media Industry Association declared December 12 to be IPTV Day. Industry insiders celebrated the fact that the number of IPTV subscribers reached 1.5 million in such a short period of time, in the face of strong competition from the cable TV market that boasts 15 million subscribers.
Some, however, beg to differ, pointing out the worse than expected performance of IPTV as the number of IPTV subscribers fell far short of the initial target range of 2.5 to 3 million. The Korea Communications Commission has urged operators to come up with active marketing strategies with the aim of boosting the number of IPTV subscribers beyond 2 million.
