MUMBAI: Interactive Broadband Consulting Group (IBB), a consulting firm advising top management in the broadband-related sectors of cable, mobile, technology and digital media took part in a panel discussion in New York titled Television 2.0: Cable, Telco, Satellite & Broadband Redefine the Future of Entertainment and Communications

IBB managing partner Dr. Imran Shah represented the firm at the event that took place a few days ago. He said, "With US Broadband penetration crossing 40 million households in 2005, broadband and IP-based distribution has become a mainstream medium for video. By drawing parallels to the exponential growth of cable network programming as multi-channel distribution grew, it is clear that this new medium is about to experience exponential growth in content providers. This provides significant opportunities for both media companies, as well as facilities-based content distributors, such as cable companies and telcos."

"Cable companies and Telcos can add a lot of value in IP-based video distribution by providing quality of service (QoS), customer service and content packaging. At the same time, media companies have the opportunity to exploit their content in multiple platforms such as: Linear Video, Video-on-Demand, IPTV, Broadband-TV, Mobile, PDA etc. They must prepare themselves to leverage this opportunity by making their content and distribution rights available, as well as creating rights management and content distribution platforms that are better suited for digital exploitation,"said Shah.