This IDC study examines the IPTV and pay-TV markets of the Middle East and North Africa region. It presents the current and forecasted levels of development in each of the pay-TV technologies, the challenges that threaten to inhibit their future growth, and the strategies that services providers can utilize in order to fend off these challenges.

The questions addressed by this study include the following:

• How will IPTV and pay-TV grow over the coming five years?
• What are the major challenges inhibiting the growth of pay-TV and IPTV?
• What strategies can pay-TV providers employ in order to grow their value in the marketplace?

"Providers of IPTV services should not limit their scope by viewing the service as simply an add-on to their broadband business. They need to view the IPTV opportunity in the context of the overall pay-TV industry and its struggle with competing FTA channels and the widespread piracy of content in the region, with the broadband network acting merely as a distribution channel. This new perspective will open paths to strategies that employ lateral assets and enhance customer experience, as well as increase network value." – Research Manager Said Irfan, Telecommunications, IDC Middle East, Africa, and Turkey