In a general definition IPTV (=Internet Protocoll Television) is a linear audiovisual TV broadcasting via internet protocol, irrespective of the transporting infrastructure (e.g. cable, satellite, terrestrial, fixed telco, mobile telco).
As major telcos launch IPTV services via their own telco infrastructures with high marketing pressure, calling their new product "IPTV", they tend to shape a dissenting definition of IPTV: The telcos (marketing language) definition would be, IPTV is a high quality "walled garden" TV service, exclusively distributed in my own telcos infrastructure (ADSL2+, VDSL) via Internet Protocol. They do so, to differentiate vs. "free" Web (IP)TV and vs cable or other (IP)TV infrastructures.
But finally, this narrow scope can not persist very long, as we do already see IPTV services in many other infrastructures - e.g. cable, satellite - and as the consumer is not very much impressed by technology driven abbreviations such as IPTV and does not really care if a product/content is delivered via IP, DVB or whatsoever...
In any case, a common understanding of how to define IPTV and/or Web-TV is an important step towards integrating these services into measurement and currencies and thereby get the market ready for advertising models in this field.
So let's discuss: What is IPTV? What is Web-TV? And how should we measure it?
Best, Frank
(http://www.linkedin.com/in/giersberg)
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