An IMS-enabled control channel for an IPTV service is provided by receiving at a Serving Call/State Control Function (S-CSCF) a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) REGISTER message, the SIP REGISTER message identifying the originating user, receiving at the originating user a response from the S-CSCF indicating that the originating user has been authorised, and sending a SIP INVITE message from the S-CSCF to establish an open channel connection with a selected IPTV Application Server (AS). This open channel connection can then be used for the transmission of control messages, such as for starting play, starting recording, stopping play, etc., between the STB and the IPTV applications server, as well as for the delivery of personalized content, such as advertisements, voting responses, personalized voting triggers and targeted interactive events. By maintaining an open control channel with the IPTV AS, this offers a substantial reduction in the setup delay times for different applications.
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