YouTube
is the
interesting
threat to
any
operator
“
”
across the country where 50% of TV
viewing is via IPTV. In such a
competitive IPTV market T‐2 are
keen on innovation, implementing
new features every quarter. These
new features add value to the
overall services offered by
Perception.
Where are the opportunities?
The opportunities are everywhere.
There are opportunities with
operators who launched first
generation IPTV platforms and
now want to upgrade to a next
generation platform that is feature‐
rich and more flexible. There are
some very large operators even in
emerging markets looking to do
that now. For tier 2, 3 and 4
operators Perception is a fantastic
service to offer to their subscribers
and integrate very quickly. In Asian
countries with extensive cable
networks such as China, the
opportunity is huge, as is the
Middle East with a number of very
large operators. Some may not even
bother with the STB, offering apps
for tablets and smartphones only.
And of course the roll‐out of 4G
LTE represents another
opportunity.
We are seeing very fast fibre
backbone networks and fibre to the
home being rolled out across the
world. If an operator has a fibre to
the home network that can support
multicast streaming to a STB the
operational costs are considerably
lower, making IPTV services to
large subscriber bases much more
attractive. When you put this
infrastructure in, the possibilities
become very obvious.
Howdoes your business break down?
Going forward, we will continue to
offer our core services to
broadcasters and channel
operators. That could be studio
hire, playout for clients or
streaming channels worldwide for
a diverse range of businesses
globally. However Perception is the
‘new kid on the block’ – it delivers
next generation IPTV platform
technology at very competitive
costs, rapidly deployed, we know
we have a winner here. Also not
forgetting new ventures such as
Vision Fibre Media, a joint venture
business delivering high speed
broadband and TV services to
residential developments such as
London’s Barbican.
Are Apple TV and Google TV a
threat?
We see them as opportunities,
where we can launch apps.
YouTube is the interesting threat to
any operator – it’s vying for
people’s attention and their time.
Telcos with a pay‐TV operation
have to realise that they need to
give people more flexibility in
terms of how they can interact with
online content. They need to make
their services more sticky so people
are using it for longer, and a multi‐
screen strategy can help. There are
a few new pay‐TV operators in the
marketplace who are leading the
way. One is Total Channel in Spain
who are offering 12 or 14 of the tier
1 broadcasters an OTT only multi‐
screen service, with no STB
involved.
Where would you like to see things
going?
From a technology point of view,
the future remains complex. With
regard to Smart TVs each of the
manufacturers has a different
standard – that makes it difficult
for operators and single channel
pay‐TV operations. What I would
like to see is more unified
platforms, so that we can create
great services, with great content,
to take advantage of people’s
continued interest in TV – a
common set of development tools
that removes the barriers to
launching great content on multiple
devices. Right now, it is a
complicated world out there.
Tim Ayris, thank you.
www.vision247.com
THE CHANNEL
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ISSUE 1 2014
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