Managed Multiscreen Service providers can mitigate DRM risk. Multiscreen TV services are strategically important to pay TV providers due to the growing consumer demand for them. Research by Alcatel-Lucent indicates over 70 percent of young consumers are highly interested in multiscreen services. QuickPlay’s own surveys of mobile subscribers in both the UK and the US indicate that over 48 percent are interested in using multiscreen services.
While the demand for viewing content on multiple platforms is clear, implementing a multiscreen service carries some significant challenges. As pointed out by Barry Tishgart, VP of Comcast: “the big three risks around offering multiscreen are DRM, delivery technology, and usability.” Here I will reflect on how pay TV service providers can cost effectively mitigate digital rights management (DRM) risk. DRM is only a subset of a larger topic: content security. The final stage in the multiscreen value chain is the consumption stage. IP & Convergence - MobiTV Offers TV Everywhere. MobiTV Inc. is expanding beyond wireless carriers with a turnkey TV Everywhere service tailored for cable MSOs, telco and satellite TV service providers.
MobiTV's intention is to adapt its existing cloud-based video distribution platform so that authenticated pay-TV providers can deliver live and on-demand programming to customers via an array of IP-connected mobile devices, including tablets, smartphones and PCs. It's a new approach for MobiTV, which historically has sold subscription video services on mobile phones via its partnerships with several major wireless operators, including AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S) and T-Mobile US Inc. . MobiTV believes it can remove much of the complexity and cost of such services for MSOs by selling them a pre-packaged yet customizable system comprising content encoding and ingestion, device integration (MobiTV supports about 375 devices today) and digital rights management (DRM) support.
IP & Convergence - SyncTV Will Seek Its 'A' Round in 2012. SyncTV Inc. , a startup that makes TV Everywhere systems for MSOs and programmers, will seek out bigger deals and a bigger bank account in 2012.
The company has secured a "couple of million dollars" in early funding, but will hunt down a formal "A" round sometime next year to help accelerate expansion, says SyncTV CEO Alex Garcia-Tobar. He won't say how much it wants to raise, but notes that the company has received interest from a number of venture capitalists and strategic investors. SyncTV is pursuing the round about two years after deciding to alter its strategy. After originally trying to develop a Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX)-like, direct-to-consumer streaming service, it changed gears to focus on a white-label platform aimed at helping MSOs and content owners pipe video to multiple devices over the top via broadband. It's on track to have 15 deployments by the end of 2012. The white-label approach pits it against companies such as thePlatform Inc. How Neustar Plans To Make UltraViolet DRM Work, With or Without Apple (TCTV) There’s a lot of skepticism about the success potential of UltraViolet, a new cloud based digital distribution format designed to make digital rights management work across devices.
That’s because people hate DRM, but also because the standard currently lacks support from Amazon and iTunes, the two biggest digital video sellers and renters. I wanted the real story on where UltraViolet is going, so I sat down with the Tim Dodd, VP and GM of Neustar Media, developers of the technology that powers UltraViolet. Watch here on TCTV as he defends UltraViolet, explains how it works on iOS devices without support from iTunes, and claims that there’s still a future in physical media. How Neustar Plans To Make UltraViolet DRM Work, With or Without Apple (TCTV) Last year, UltraViolet emerged as the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem coalitions choice to power DRM. But the UltraViolet launch was a disaster. Still, Dodd is optimistic. Apple has little incentive to cooperate. CES 2012: Comcast embraces new joint solution for TV Everywhere. Michelle Clancy | 12-01-2012 Joining the multiscreen, TV Everywhere revolution, a new joint solution from video processing company Elemental Technologies and thePlatform will soon be available for the processing and management of large, dynamic video content libraries for IP-connected devices.
Leading US cable MSO Comcast is a first customer, and is relying on the technology to support its online and mobile initiatives. The integration, designed for service providers and media companies, combines the Elemental Server file-based video transcoding solution with thePlatform’s mpx video management system for multiscreen video delivery. The two companies will jointly market each other’s solutions to customers.
“Elemental is at the forefront of providing robust and cost-effective transcoding solutions,” said Ian Blaine, CEO of thePlatform. MobiTV and Deutsche Telekom team on TV platform. Working on tech to deliver TV across mobile phones, tablets, PCs, Internet TVs and set-top boxes.
The solution will be powered by MobiTV’s TV Everywhere and will give consumers the option to watch live and on demand TV on any authorised device irrespective of manufacturer or platform. It follows a successful trial implementation of the converged multi-screen service that integrates TV Everywhere into Deutsche Telekom's existing IPTV service, Entertain. TV Everywhere integrates with existing TV infrastructure and back-end systems, so broadcasters looking to extend their content to other platforms can do so – at reduced time and cost. Charlie Nooney, CEO of MobiTV, said: “Consumer acceptance of TV ‘on the go’ has opened the door to a truly converged multi-screen offering that will allow broadcasters, cable operators and pay TV providers to extend the delivery of primetime shows, live sporting events and VOD services to tablets, smartphones and PCs.