What is the future of television? It would seem that the abundance and variety of content available to users within easy reach leads to traditional television going into the shadows and becoming unnecessary. However, TV viewing statistics proves it wrong: the number of TV viewers around the world is growing annually and is forecasted to reach 5.69 billion people worldwide by 2027 [Statista, 2023].
Despite the impressive number, not everything is that promising for traditional television. Many users use the TV to watch movies, series, shows from streaming platforms, the number of which is only increasing year-by-year [eMerketer, 2021].
Now users have a choice: not only the traditional program guide for the evening, but also movies and series from a variety of streaming services. These platforms both produce their own unique content and provide access to popular shows and programs. TV manufacturers are adapting to the changing reality – by developing Smart TV technology, pre-installing streaming service applications, developing their own app stores.
The development of streaming platforms is leading to an inevitable trend – television is “moving” to the Internet. In order to keep up and not to be left overboard, telecom operators are introducing interactive television into the list of their services. Platforms (for example, IPTVPORTAL) have a wide variety of functions:
- Viewing programs from the archive
- Ability to rewind and pause
- Interface customization
- Parental control
Interactive TV platforms help to compete and attract more users. In addition, after analyzing more than 500 telecom operators, was found that operators offering interactive functionality almost do not have an outflow of subscribers.
Thus, it is safe to say that television has a future. TV viewing statistics are rising every year, however, in order to stay afloat, telecom operators need to take into account the rapidly changing competitive environment of streaming platforms, provide a variety of functionality to their customers, and embrace the trend of television shifting to the Internet.