IPTV Delivery Networks

Chapter 12Technologies and Architectures for Future IP Television Services

Lucile Sassatelli and Marie-José Montpetit

12.1 Introduction

Until the early 2000s, IPTV offers mainly followed the linear TV model: The catalogue of channels was increased compared with subscription-free (Hertzian) and subscription-based (cable) TV services, but the content remained mostly broadcast (where the viewer does not get to choose the show's starting time). To do so, the network providers upgraded their infrastructure to support IP multicast. IPTV providers then started to propose replay services in the mid-2000s, making the shows available for people to watch any time after their airing date. Such services developed in parallel with the advent of video-streaming services launched by providers who did not own network infrastructure but relied on public Internet to reach their consumers; these were called ‘over-the-top’ (OTT) services. Several major and smaller video streaming providers hence developed, with various business models mainly based on advertisement (e.g., YouTube) or subscription fees (e.g., Netflix).

With the advent of ADSL2+, FTTH investments and DOCSIS 3.0 and 3.1, the increase in the clients' access bandwidth in the late 2000s to early 2010s spurred the consumers to subscribe to these type of unlimited, yet targeted OTT services. An important advantage is their ability to be delivered from any third-party network, contrary to legacy IPTV. The huge leap in mobile access (with ...