The Evolving IPTV Landscape: Infrastructure, Measurement, and Transition
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The Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) sector is rapidly evolving, driven by technical innovation, regulatory challenges, and the ongoing convergence of broadcast and internet-delivered video. This article presents extracts from recent industry coverage that highlight these dynamic developments.
Technical Innovation in Distribution
A large alliance tries to overcome a major infrastructural challenge. In December 2025, VITEC and Actelis Networks announced a cooperation to provide IPTV and digital signage to facilities using outdated RF coaxial infrastructure. This approach is intended to provide "IP video distribution over existing coax cabling, eliminating the need for costly retrofits". According to Eli Garten of VITEC, the partnership "allows partners to take advantage of their existing RF infrastructure, bringing IP video distribution to venues through coax cabling, with no need to retrofit Ethernet wiring". The cooperation targets sites like "stadiums, campuses, government buildings, and manufacturing facilities"
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The Challenge of Cross-Platform Measurement
As viewing fragmented across platforms, uniform measuring remains difficult. In early 2026, Google ordered UK measurement companies Barb and Kantar Media to halt a service comparing YouTube channel viewership on TV sets to audiences for traditional channels and streaming platforms. The service, which will be available in July 2025, would add "200 YouTube channels to Barb's regular reporting using panel-based measurement". According to sources, Google objected "to the way Kantar's measurement attributed viewing to individual creators, citing YouTube's terms of service". This break takes place because "broadcasters, advertisers and regulators push for clearer cross-media measurement of online video"
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The Broadcast Transition: ATSC 3.0
The television industry is grappling with a major technological transition that intersects with IPTV's growth. The industry is divided over the move from the ATSC 1.0 digital standard to ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV), with debate centered on whether the FCC should impose a mandatory cutoff date
. Major commercial broadcasters support a "hard sunset" for ATSC 1.0, arguing it is needed to "push holdouts to upgrade, ensuring the entire ecosystem... moves forward together" and to unlock new, IP-enabled business opportunities. Opponents, including public broadcasters and pay-TV providers, warn a mandate could create "unequal harm" and impose "enormous upgrade costs" without clear returns, potentially forcing some small stations off the air.
Key Technologies in Modern Video Delivery
Technology/Initiative | Primary Purpose | Key Stakeholders & Current Status |
Hybrid IPTV-over-Coax |
Deliver modern IPTV/Digital Signage using legacy RF cable infrastructure, avoiding rewiring costs. | VITEC & Actelis Networks; Partnership announced Dec 2025, targeting stadiums, government, enterprise. |
Cross-Platform Video Measurement |
Compare viewing of YouTube channels on TVs with linear TV and streaming service audiences. | Barb & Kantar Media (measurement bodies), Google (platform); Service launched Jul 2025, paused Jan 2026. |
ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) |
Next-gen over-the-air broadcast standard featuring IP-based delivery, better picture/sound, datacasting. | Large commercial broadcasters (pro-mandate) vs. Public broadcasters & MVPDs (pro-market-led); FCC deciding. |
References
Broadband TV News. (2026, January 29). Google blocks Barb and Kantar's YouTube channel ratings service. Retrieved from https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2026/01/29/google-blocks-barb-and-kantars-youtube-channel-ratings-service/
Yahoo Finance. (2025, December 17). VITEC and Actelis Networks Announce Partnership to Bring IPTV to RF-Only Facilities [Press release]. Retrieved from https://finance.yahoo.com/news/vitec-actelis-networks-announce-partnership-210100171.html
TVRev. (2026). The ATSC 3.0 Deadline Debate Exposes Broadcasting's New Fault Lines. Retrieved from https://www.tvrev.com/news/the-atsc-30-deadline-debate-exposes-broadcastings-new-fault-lines
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