Internet Protocol Television is a new and potentially huge market. Several companies, most notably Brightcove, have been working to make a variable IPTV system or service. One company that has grown rapidly and has connections to some big players in media is JumpTV. JumpTV is an IPTV subscription service that aims to bring ethnic/international television to the Internet.

The goal of JumpTV is, from their press release, to help connect “culturally diverse individuals with media from their native land and to others in their community.” In the last year, JumpTV has expanded from offering 23 channels to offering more than 200 channels from over 65 countries. The service gives access to live feeds provided by JumpTV’s country-specific partners. The service, of course, functions best with a high-speed connection. JumpTV claims that their viewing experience is comparable to that of conventional television. JumpTV is a monthly subscription service that allows viewing of one channel for $9.95, but does have region and country multi-channel packages that start at $19.95. They are also working on creating pay-per-view and some manner of download options.

The founder of JumpTV, Scott Paterson, has, according to information from their site, gathered several important individuals in media to serve on its advisory board including: “Mark Amin — vice-chairman of Lions Gate, former chief executive of Trimark Pictures and chairman of Sobini Films — is a director, as is Curt Mavis, the founder of CinemaNow Inc., a provider of feature films and video-on-demand through the Internet. Other notables include James McNamara, the chairman of Panamax Films and former chief executive of Telemundo Communications, the second-largest Spanish network in the United States; Moses Znaimer, a co-founder and former president at Citytv in Toronto, and Alex Blum, JumpTV's president and former executive with AOL.”

If you want to see some Bollywood flicks, Spanish soap operas or Tanzanian sports, JumpTV gives you a chance to catch it all.