LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NDS today announced that its technology is powering the new Sky Anytime push video-on-demand (VOD) service for Sky Deutschland, the largest pay-TV operator in Germany and Austria. The new service was launched in August for satellite subscribers with Sky+ and will be available for all Sky+ subscribers later this year.
Enabled by NDS’ MediaHighway™ set-top box software, Sky Anytime provides Sky+ customers with a wide range of on-demand content, including selected movies from their subscribed film packages as well as high quality entertainment and sport programmes. A wide selection of content is ‘pushed’ onto the Sky+ hard disc overnight in a way that makes efficient use of broadcast bandwidth, the majority of which is available in HD. Accordingly each day a new selection of content is available through the Sky Anytime service for instant playback, including the latest blockbuster releases from “Sky Select”.
In the context of the launch, NDS and Sky Deutschland have enhanced the look and feel of the Sky Guide, the electronic programme guide (EPG) for all Sky Deutschland set-top boxes. The design upgrade enables an even more intuitive user experience and provides access to advanced features such as the new push VOD service.
Gerard Duffy, Senior Vice President Technology at Sky Deutschland, said: “With Sky Anytime we will be providing flexible, real-time access to a great selection of on-demand content for our subscribers – in addition to what they are currently able to view, this value added service will enable them to get more from their subscription.” He added “NDS’ technology and expertise are once again enabling us to take Sky’s premium service to the next level.”
Yves Padrines, NDS VP Sales Europe & General Manager NDS GmbH, commented: “We are proud to be supporting Sky Deutschland with the latest enhancement to their service. As a platform they continue to enhance the subscriber experience and add value with services that highlight quality content.”
Sky Deutschland already benefits from a number of solutions from NDS including MediaHighway® advanced set-top box (STB) software, VideoGuard® content protection technology, NDS XTV™ DVR technology and an electronic programme guide (EPG) – all of which provide the basis for the introduction of the new Sky Anytime service.
About NDS
NDS Group Ltd. creates the technologies and
applications that enable pay-TV operators to securely deliver digital
content to TV STBs (set-top boxes), DVRs (digital video recorders), PCs,
mobiles and other multimedia devices. Over 80 of the world’s leading
pay-TV platforms rely on NDS solutions to protect and enhance their
businesses. VideoGuard® is the world’s market-leading conditional access
(CA) and digital rights management (DRM) technology, currently deployed
on 155 million active devices, and safeguarding pay-TV service revenues
exceeding $50 billion. NDS middleware, including MediaHighway® which
enables a host of advanced services for subscribers, has been deployed
on 195 million devices. NDS DVR technology, centred around XTV™, leads
the global industry with 41 million units deployed. (Deployment figures
as of 30th June 2011).
Headquartered in the UK, with over 5000 employees, NDS remains committed to investing in R&D with over 75% of its employees dedicated to pioneering work at development centres in China, France, India, Israel, Korea, UK and US. NDS has also implemented a host of initiatives aimed at reducing its carbon footprint and helping digital TV subscribers reduce energy consumption.
NDS Group Ltd. is a private company owned by the Permira Funds and News Corporation. See www.nds.com for more information.
Read about the latest developments at NDS and in the pay-TV industry in World Vision.