"Understanding the content business and not falling for common myths and misconceptions is paramount for telecommunication operators' success at IPTV", Jeffrey Soong, CEO of Hong Kong based IPTV solutions provider Broadband Network Systems (BNS) said at the Broadband World Forum in Yokohama.

Speaking at a special session during the Forum conference, Mr Soong said that despite the cultural differences between the telecommunication and entertainment industries, and the head start enjoyed by other pay TV operators such as cable and satellite, telcos can master the content business to run a successful IPTV service.

"As content acquisition and programming pose big challenges for telcos, a number of myths and misconceptions have emerged around the content business," Mr Soong said in the presentation. "Myths such as 'it's difficult to get content', or 'Hollywood is weary of the IPTV platform' are mainly arising out of unfamiliarity with the nature and practice of the industry but are largely not warranted and shouldn't prevent telcos from entering the IPTV industry."

Mr Soong said out that there was plenty of good content still available both domestically and from international producers but, more importantly, operators needed to identify the right content for this new platform and understand previously unmet needs of its users. Developing the right content strategy and internalizing content expertise to succeed in a competitive environment were the most important steps for telcos to undertake when planning an IPTV service, he said.

"When cable television emerged years ago, very little content expertise was available within the operators as the business was dominated by the terrestrial TV operators," Mr Soong continued and pointed out that the cable industry managed to quickly build in-house expertise and overtake terrestrial television in many countries around the world. "There is no reason the same cannot be repeated with IPTV", he concluded.

Mr Soong was speaking at a Special Session titled "Emerging Applications, Content and Services for Broadband Success" which featured a panel of four industry speakers who shared with the audience experiences and lessons learned within the broadband space.