A new report by market research firm In-Stat suggests that premium Internet video services offering up non-adult video content will be a US$2.6 billion market by 2009. An analyst who worked on the report calls Apple’s decision to sell video through the iTunes Music store as “a major turning point” in the development of this market.
The company said that revenues in this market will be generated through various means, including standalone Web portals that sell subscriptions directly; content aggregators; Pay TV-style services and video through the mobile telephone industry.
“Really Simple Syndication (RSS), audio podcasting, and upcoming video podcasting initiatives will certainly drive demand for lots more video on the Internet. Apple’s announcement that brings ABC’s ‘Desperate Housewives’ onto Apple’s iTunes service marks a major turning point for video over the Internet,” said In-Stat analyst Gerry Kaufhold in a statement.