CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, June 30 /PRNewswire/ --

Despite the massive investments necessary in Asia/Pacific's IPTV market,
both in technology and content procurement, telecom operators must invest to
gain subscriber market share according to a new report from Pyramid Research
(www.pyr.com), the telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications
Network (www.lightreading.com).

IPTV in Asia/Pacific: Profit Picture Fuzzy, but Momentum Building
analyzes the challenges facing IPTV providers and looks at the key drivers
behind service rollouts in Asia/Pacific. The 13-page report includes two case
studies focusing on Hong Kong and South Korea, providing insights into the
different strategies used by operators in each market to gain a foothold in
the highly competitive broadcasting space. Download an excerpt of this report
here: http://www.pyramidresearch.com/downloads.htm?id=5&sc=PR063009_INAP1.3.
Media Forecasts are also available for 14 markets in Asia/Pacific and provide
competitive intelligence on the pay-TV and mobile TV dynamics, market share
information at both the technology and operator levels, and five-year
adoption and revenue projections. Learn more here:
http://www.pyr.com/mediafcst.htm.

Although Asia/Pacific has the distinction of having the most
successful IPTV operators globally, and rollouts continue throughout the
region, operators continue to face challenges in three key areas: regulatory
constraints, content, and technology costs, notes Charles Moon, analysts at
Pyramid Research and author of the report. "Typically, regulatory issues come
first, then the mammoth challenge of valuing and procuring content along with
technology issues - both of which can affect subscriber take-up and bottom
lines," says Moon.

"One of the most glaring problems surrounding IPTV has been the
lack of any framework around the service, putting it in a gray area, with
neither the telecom nor broadcasting regulators having clear oversight of the
sector," says Moon. Also, the initial investments required in order to
acquire content can be prohibitive for smaller players. "To make matters
worse, the entrenched position of cable companies in markets like Japan and
South Korea make it even more difficult for new IPTV players to negotiate for
content rights," he explains. "In addition to the lack of adequate
infrastructure and the high cost of STBs hindering adoption, the fight to
defend market share is intensifying."

Asia/Pacific provides good lessons for operators faced with
developing a business case for IPTV services and determining an appropriate
strategy for long-term success. "We believe the long-term opportunities that
IPTV brings outweigh the short-term risks," Moons says. "The promise of
media, and the escape it provides from dumb-pipe business models, is
encouraging carriers to take risks and make grabs for market share," he adds.
"Further, the benefits associated from capturing customers - such as lower
churn, new service provisioning, and higher cash flows - provide a case for
short-term sacrifices."

IPTV in Asia/Pacific: Profit Picture Fuzzy, but Momentum Building is part
of Pyramid Research's Asia/Pacific Telecom Insider report series. Telecom
Insiders are packed with trend analysis, industry best practices, market
sizing and forecasting, competitor analysis, and case studies, providing you
information you can leverage to make better business decisions.

Download an excerpt of this report here:
http://www.pyramidresearch.com/downloads.htm?id=5&sc=PR063009_INAP1.3. This
report is priced at US$595 and can be purchased online here:
http://www.pyramidresearch.com/store/ins_ap_090615.htm?sc=PR063009_INAP1.3 or
by contacting Jeff Claudino via email at claudino@pyr.com or telephone at
+1-619-229-9940.

About Pyramid Research

Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com) offers practical solutions to the complex
demands our clients face in the telecommunications, media and technology
industries. Our analysis is uniquely positioned at the intersection of
emerging markets, emerging technologies and emerging business models, powered
by the bottom-up methodology of our market forecasts for over 100 countries-a
distinction that has remained unmatched for more than 25 years. As the
telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network, Pyramid
Research works with Heavy Reading, providing the communications industry's
most comprehensive market data, trusted research and insightful technology
analysis.

About Light Reading

Founded in 2000, Light Reading (www.lightreading.com) is the leading
online media, research, and focused event company serving the US$3 trillion
worldwide communications market. Lightreading.com is the ultimate source for
technology and financial analysis of the communications industry, leading the
media sector in terms of traffic, content, and reputation. Light Reading's
research arms, Heavy Reading and Pyramid Research, provide the most
comprehensive communications research, market data, and technology analysis
in close to 100 markets around the world. Light Reading produces nearly 20
targeted communications events including TelcoTV, Ethernet Expo New York and
Ethernet Expo London, The Tower Summit @ CTIA, and Optical Expo, as well as
focused one-day events tailored for cable, mobile, and wireline executives.
Light Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005 and
operates as a unit of TechWeb.

About TechWeb

TechWeb (http://techweb.com/aboutus), the global leader in business
technology media, is an innovative business focused on serving the needs of
technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most
respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today,
more than 13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in
our communities created around our global face-to-face events, Interop, Web
2.0, Black Hat, and VoiceCon; online resources such as the TechWeb Network,
Light Reading, Intelligent Enterprise, InformationWeek.com, bMighty.com, and
The Financial Technology Network; and the market leading, award-winning
InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, MSDN Magazine, and Wall Street &
Technology magazines. TechWeb also provides end-to-end services including
next-generation performance marketing, integrated media, research, and
analyst services. TechWeb is a division of United Business Media, a global
provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a
market capitalization of more than US$2.5 billion.

*13.3 million business decision-makers: based on number of monthly
connections

About United Business Media Limited

UBM (UBM.L) focuses on two principal activities: worldwide information
distribution, targeting and monitoring; and, the development and monetization
of B2B communities and markets. UBM's businesses inform markets and serve
professional commercial communities - from doctors to game developers, from
journalists to jewelry traders, from farmers to pharmacists - with integrated
events, online, print and business information products. Our 6,500 staff in
more than 30 countries are organized into specialist teams that serve these
communities, bringing buyers and sellers together, helping them to do
business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently. For more
information, go to http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com.

Press contact:
    Jennifer Baker
    +1-617-871-1910
    jbaker@pyr.com