Datamonitor’s recent report, “The Evolving Broadcast Sector,” proposes 2006 will be a watershed year for new services such as high-definition TV, IPTV and mobile TV. The report expects the European digital TV market to overtake that of the United States in absolute terms by the end of 2006, at which point Datamonitor estimates 65 million households across the region will have made the transition to digital TV services. The report added that digital penetration will remain higher in the United States until the end of 2009, when an estimated 63 percent of households in both regions will be receiving digital TV services.
“Competition across the digital TV sector is now greater than ever before, prompting operators to develop their offerings in order to attract and retain subscribers,” said Adrian Drozd, senior media & broadcasting analyst and author of the study. “The emergence of IPTV will act to boost levels of competition and add new impetus to the plans of established operators.”
Thus far, more than 100 million households across Europe and the United States have made the transition from analog services, although penetration between individual countries continues to vary significantly, according to Datamonitor
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