Ericsson eyes 15 pc marketshare in TV and media by 2017

With a fresh thrust on the television and media business, communication technology and services firm Ericsson is eyeing 15 per cent of the marketshare in this space in India by 2017, company's top executives said today.
"We foresee a strong growth in the TV and media space in India and expect to achieve a 15 per cent marketshare in the country by 2017," Chris Houghton, head of region, India, Ericsson said here.
Presently, the company has a 10 per cent marketshare in the TV and media space, he added.
In this direction, Ericsson today announced tie-ups with TV network Sun TV and direct-to-home service provider Tata Sky for its compression portfolio, a company statement said.

Its technology will power 33 Sun TV channels, with 95 million subscribers. Further, it will reach 13.5 million connections of Tata Sky present in 36,000 towns, it said, adding Ericsson has also created a thought leadership platform in India for the TV and media industry, called 'Television Next'.
"The TV industry is going through rapid transformation. Ericsson is committed to helping broadcasters overcome challenges of limited satellite spectrum and the growing quality expectations of Indian consumers," Houghton added.

"We want to be the ultimate partner to content owners broadcasters as well as TV service providers in India," Nishant Batra, head of engagement practices, Ericsson India told reporters.

Ericsson has forecast that globally there will be 50 billion connected devices by 2020, and 15 billion of these will be video enabled.
"The phenomenon is very similar in India. Video has taken over the networks," Batra pointed out.
"By 2020, 50 per cent of the videos will be watched on mobile devices, and 50 per cent of that will be on demand," Batra added.
"Mobile viewing is a key growth area," he said.
India is the largest employee base of Ericsson, according to the company.
"Since 2013, our employees in India have increased to 21,000 from 18,000," Houghton pointed out.

The firm is also setting up a telecom equipment plant in Pune with an investment of USD 15 million, that will begin operations next year, he said.