Final answer:
IP multicast differs from IP broadcast in that it targets a specific group of interested hosts rather than all hosts on a network segment, making it a more efficient method for sending data to multiple recipients.
Step-by-step explanation:
IP multicast and IP broadcast are both methods used for sending packets to multiple destinations. However, they serve different purposes and are implemented in distinct ways. IP broadcast is used to send data to all possible destinations on a network segment. In contrast, IP multicast sends data only to a group of hosts that are interested in receiving the information. This is known as a multicast group. Unlike broadcast, which can lead to unnecessary data traffic since all nodes on the network receive the data, multicast targets only the hosts that have explicitly signaled their interest in joining a specific multicast address group. Therefore, multicast is more efficient than broadcast in terms of network utilization when sending data to multiple recipients.