Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Japan IPTV Market Outlook" report to their offering. This report examines the Japan IPTV service market conditions and trends. Based on the findings, Japanese IPTV market forecast is provided for 2008-2012. A definition of IPTV is presented in Chapter 1 of this report. In Chapter 2, the standardization polices in Japan are discussed. In Chapter 3, IPTV service providers and broadcasting content are presented. Chapter 4 provides an analysis on the Japan IPTV market, and in Chapter 5, considerations for the establishment and development of a successful IPTV service are suggested.

This projects that the number of IPTV subscribers in Japan will exceed 3 million by 2012, which is approximately 10% of FTTH subscribers, and the penetration rate of IPTV is expected to be 6%. It is estimated that the average growth rate will reach 65% from 2006 to 2012. Japan is an entry level market with estimated 400,000 IPTV subscribers in 2008, but the full-fledged use of the IPTV service will expand to the major cities across the country from 2009 and increase sharply in 2010, says Seong Ho Kim, analyst.

Three companies are providing the IPTV services in Japan; Hikari TV from NTT Plara, Hikari One TV from KDDI and BBTV from BB Cable Corporation. However the specifications of STB (set-top box), which is the receiver of IPTV signals, are developed independently by the manufacturers and consequently a question regarding the compatibility is being raised. As a result, measures for standardization are being taken internationally at ITU. In Japan, the same movement is found in the domestic IPTV Forum. This Japan IPTV Market Outlook report examines the Japan IPTV service market conditions and trends. Based on the findings, Japanese IPTV market forecast is provided for 2008-2012.

Executive Summary:

Recently in Japan, IPTV service is being adopted with an expectation that its development will be very rapid. Three companies are providing the (narrow sense) IPTV services in Japan; Hikari TV from NTT Plara, Hikari One TV from KDDI and BBTV from BB Cable Corporation. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan, the number of subscribers was 172,000 as of March 2007.

However the specifications of STB (set-top box), which is the receiver of IPTV signals, are developed independently by the manufacturers and consequently a question regarding the compatibility is being raised. As a result, measures for standardization are being taken internationally at ITU. In Japan, the same movement is found in the IPTV Forum.

IPTV stands for Internet Protocol TV, but its definition differs slightly depending on the categorization system. ROA Group defines the IPTV service as "a service that provides, on a TV set, using the set-top box, a content that is delivered through a closed IP network." Therefore, IPTV is different from CATV, which is based on the cable network and Internet TV that uses an open IP network.

Key Topics Covered:

• IPTV Overview
• IPTV Technology Trends and Standardization Policies
• IPTV Service Providers and Broadcast Content
• IPTV Market Analysis
• Conclusion
• Glossary
• List of Figures
• List of Tables