Content body pitches for EU lobby fund - International Webcasting Association Europe - Industry Trend or Event

CommunicationsWeek International, April 2, 2001 by George Malim

A major broadband content industry association representing Akamai Technologies and Microsoft, among others, has joined the campaign to get incumbent network operators and Internet service providers in Europe to open their networks to new media services.

The IWA Europe, the European chapter of the International Webcasting Association, of Washington D.C., wants funding from the European Union, which operates several media support programs, so it can conduct its own research and employ staff to assist members looking for networking channels.

But analysts question if webcasting addresses a wide enough customer base for the European Commission to review the market yet. "Streaming is not a very big market at the moment," said Tim Chen, senior consultant at Analysys Ltd., Cambridge, England.

The IWA said it needs to make sure its members in European territories are represented and their issues addressed. "We need to put pressure on ISPs to do multicasting properly...We need cash to fund researchers to write documents that support the IWA's case," said Gavin Starks, vice chairman, IWA Europe.

Analysts say webcasting technology has already been installed in most networks, but it is not used by operators because they do not have interested customers. "Aside from acceptable metering tools, everything else [for multicasting] is embedded in routers, but no one has turned it on because they don't think they can make money out of it," said Chen.

The IWA has over 75 members, including Apple Computer, Globix Corp., Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and Real Networks. IWA Europe has 40 members and recently launched a Scandinavian chapter.