The floor at IBC 2008 likely will be buzzing with an broad array of industry concerns, as xecutives, analysts and insiders from around the globe converge on Amsterdam with a list of questions and talking points.
    Industry analyst Tim Farrar of TMF Associates believes mobile TV will be a topic of intense focus. “The optimism from wireless providers over the potential of mobile TV has definitely decreased since last year,” said Farrar, who will come to the conference questioning whether there is a substantial revenue stream for mobile operators in this market.
    Some of the concerns arose after Mobile Broadcasting Corp., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corp., announced in July that it will cease the operations of its four-year-old mobile digital satellite broadcasting services at the end of March. Growing demand for free broadcasting services cut into the demand for the satellite service, and the number of subscribers never reached a sufficient level to sustain operations, Toshiba said.
    “Free-to-air services in Japan and Korea have got reasonable traction and are doing a lot better than the subscription-based networks that are controlled by the mobile operators,” said Farrar. “So the questions are: ‘Will mobile operators pull back from TV leaving more space for broadcasters to pick up the slack?’ ‘What will this all mean for the landscape of the industry?’ It all depends on the interests of the mobile providers.”
    Elisabeth Tweedie, an analyst with Definitive Direction, agrees, noting that there will be a lot of discussion on whether mobile TV will be around in five years as a successful business model.
    Tweedie said digital signage will be one of the most engaging topics for the satellite industry at IBC. “Digital signage is the topic with the most potential for the satellite industry to get involved because of the capability for point-to-multi-point distribution,” she said. “It is something that is very easy for the satellite industry to step up to and provide very quickly. It is an easier business model although personally, I do not think it is a very big business model.”
    Phil Doriot, a market analyst from CFI Group, said he will be paying close attention to IPTV discussions.
    “My firm has been tracking IPTV customer awareness for the last few years across the” United States, said Doriot, who represents several telecom clients with IP interest. “The customer experience concerning IPTV rollouts has not been maximized at all. As the complexity increases with these products, richness of content and the ability to be specific on a house-to-house basis becomes more and more of a challenge for these companies. Verizon, who is a client of ours, has been working on IP-specific projects with Fios, and we are interested to know, as I am sure they are, what is coming.”
    IBC 2008 has set the stage for many of these important industry questions to be answered.