A recently published article on Videonet explores whether more telcos should look at over-the-top as an alternative approach to delivering or expanding video services, thus removing or reducing their reliance on traditional IPTV. That is the view of Andrew Ladbrook, Analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media, who told the Connected Home World Summit on Tuesday that this is one of the opportunities created by the proliferation of connected TV devices, and a possibility that is not talked about enough.

Telstra in Australia is a compelling example of telco OTT, having completely bypassed the managed, closed IPTV model from the outset, delivering its BigPond service through its Telstra T-Box set-top box and connected TVs.

“We think more operators will go the Telstra route,” Ladbrook declared, referring primarily to incumbent telcos and alternative broadband providers. “What is the best way to hit your customers? Investing in [traditional, managed] IPTV has been expensive. There are other ways, though they are more controversial. Operators do not need to deliver video over managed networks. They can go OTT.”

To read the full article, please click here to visit Videonet.

Videonet explores the challenges and opportunities for the TV industry as it introduces more on-demand content and evolves towards multi-screen delivery and a hybrid broadcast/IP connected TV experience. Focusing on the user experience, the business models and technologies that are both driving and being shaped by convergence, it is read by Pay TV operators, broadcasters and content owners, CE vendors, online video service providers and advertisers, among others