Internet Protocol TV in Perspective: A Matrix of Continuity and Innovation

The telecommunications firms have continually attempted to introduce a new intelligent television system for the past thirty-plus years by making the best use of ever-developing information and communication technologies, changes in media consumption patterns, collapse of regulatory barriers, and so on. Internet protocol TV (IPTV) is the most recent version of such corporate attempts. This article contextualizes IPTV in terms of its history, identity, and challenges. Despite the rhetoric of newness, IPTV is a replica of the interactive TV of the past, which has a turbulent genealogy of its own. Even with the interactive services based upon advanced IP technology, it is not structurally different from conventional television as the medium is organized following the TV model. In addition to competition, a contradiction between the open internet and walled-garden IPTV will pose critical challenges to the medium. However, IPTV is still evolving, and its future is not yet fully determined.