This IDC study focuses on the communications and media sector in Australia, providing a map of where short- and longer-term opportunities can be found and highlighting the purchasing patterns for products and services by market. This study is part of a series of reports focusing on specific vertical markets. Actual ICT market sizing and IT market shares are provided for 2011, along with the forecasts in 2012–2016, including compound annual growth rates (CAGRs). This study aims to provide insights into the future areas of opportunity in the communications and media sector, highlighting areas of growth and analysing the factors influencing the decision-making processes of ICT spenders.

"Apart from the NBN and 4G rollouts that are driving expansionary spending on cloud and mobility, we believe investments in social applications and Big Data analytics are essential for media companies to support top-line growth. By capitalising on the viewers' social and interest graphs, media firms can generate advertising revenue more efficiently and effectively," says David So, head of Vertical Markets, IDC Australia. "Also, the consumption habits are changing in accordance with the production and distribution of content; for instance, the engagement of the social TV by people interacting with their devices (e.g., tablets, smartphones) whilst watching television is growing rapidly, due to social media and apps. As such, these industry changes present vast amounts of business opportunities for ICT vendors going forward."