The Buzz: Industry News

Aug 1, 2006 12:00 PM

GLOBAL IPTV HOUSEHOLDS TO NEAR 34 MILLION BY 2010

According to The Diffusion Group's (TDG) latest report, “IPTV Update 2006 — The Future of IP Media,” Global IPTV subscriptions are expected to jump from two million to 34 million between 2005 and 2010, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 60 percent. The number of IPTV households in North America is expected to near 14 million by 2010, with the United States accounting for 80 percent of these subscriptions. Although the majority of 2005 and 2006 IPTV deployments have been executed by small rural operators, TDG expects the new deployments by Verizon and AT&T to lead to greatly increased subscriber numbers starting in 2007.

MOMENTUM CALLS FOR COMPANIES TO CONFERENCE

Nominations are due Aug. 15 for IBDNetwork's Momentum Growth Conference, a showcase for growing companies. This year's conference, held Sept. 27-28 in Mountain View, Calif., will focus on the digital convergence ecosystem, from content creation to distribution and everything in between. Submissions will be reviewed by the IBDNetwork advisory board and must fall into one of the following categories: Content Creators and Publishers, Technology Enablers, Content Aggregators, Distributors, Advertising and Marketing Services, or Infrastructure Players.

SMART LAUNCHES SOFTWARE ACCREDITATION PROGRAM

Smart Technologies has announced the launch of the Smart Software Accreditation Program, which aims to identify and mark content and software based on its level of compatibility with and customization for Smart's interactive whiteboards and other products. The program will designate content and software according to a three-tiered logo framework, and companies in the program will be authorized to use one of these logos on their software or content packages.

MCCANN SYSTEMS OPENS NEW FACILITY

McCann Systems' new facility in Edison, N.J., is dedicated to the design and production of audiovisual systems. The new 21,000-square-foot facility includes an extensive fabrication and programming area, which allows McCann to build and test all custom equipment racks on premise prior to installation. It also features a sound stage and a state-of-the-art conference center.

HHB CELEBRATES 30 YEARS

London-based HHB Communications commemorated 30 years in business with a celebration in London on June 24. Today, HHB is active as a re-seller, supplying products from more than 150 manufacturers, and has recently opened a specialist division, Scrub, committed to the postproduction sector.

FORD SHOWROOMS PLUG INTO SIRIUS MUSIC

Applied Media Technologies Corporation (AMTC) has announced an agreement with Ford Motor Company to provide Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers in the United States with SiriusBusiness for showroom music. SiriusBusiness consists of 67 channels of 24-hour, commercial-free music from Sirius satellite radio. Under the agreement, AMTC will also provide sound equipment to Ford dealerships.