OSLO, Norway & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NDS, now part of Cisco, and Canal Digital, the leading DTH pay-TV provider in the Nordics, today announced that they are collaborating to launch a next-generation TV platform as a hosted, managed service. Enabling both satellite and Over-the-Top (OTT) service delivery, the new platform will allow Canal Digital subscribers to access content anytime, anywhere and on multiple devices – whether in the home or on the go.
Highlights:
- The premise for the new service is to provide an immersive TV experience that is personalised to the individual. By enabling features that enrich the TV experience, such as viewer profiles or contextual applications, both on the main screen and devices, subscribers will be empowered to experience TV entertainment in new and exciting ways – all through one unified, intuitive user interface (UI).
- As an end-to-end hybrid infrastructure, delivered, hosted and managed for Canal Digital by NDS, the new platform will provide a scalable and flexible service that will allow for additional innovative features to be deployed quickly and easily after launch.
- NDS Snowflake™, the award winning user experience framework, will provide the basis for the UI to be implemented across all devices as part of the Canal Digital service. NDS Snowflake enables unified, intuitive navigation of content and services that centres on linear programming with the ability to scroll into the ”past” or “future,” providing fluid discovery of both catch-up and on-demand content, all through a consistent branded experience with integrated programme recommendations and applications.
- Powered by a hosted NDS Unified Headend™, which will reside outside of the Canal Digital network, the subscriber’s home will be connected through a multimedia gateway that distributes content and metadata-based services around the home over IP to complement satellite delivered programming.
- To enable advanced functionality throughout the home, the gateway and multi-tuner hybrid zapper boxes will be powered by NDS’ MediaHighway® middleware, utilising Jungo Panorama™ remote management technology to reduce support costs and improve the subscriber experience.
- By providing the NDS Unified Headend through a hosted model, NDS is enabling Canal Digital to focus on the end-user experience without concern over technical operations. With overall management of the headend infrastructure, NDS is able to optimize resources and expertise to enable a scalable infrastructure that will support the growth of the Canal Digital service, including the rapid deployment of new functionality and services.
Supporting Quotes:
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Patrik Hofbauer, CEO, Canal Digital
“Our new platform will provide what can only be described as a new generation of TV entertainment for our subscribers. With NDS, we are investing in our future to provide the ultimate user experience and the best possible infrastructure to support the growth of our business.”
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Jesper Andersen, senior vice president and general manager, service
provider video technology group, Cisco:
“In providing a wholly managed service for Canal Digital we are combining our experience and technical capability to extend our role as solutions provider further than ever before. But more significantly, the approach taken by Canal Digital shows market innovation and progression to hosted and cloud-based technologies that will enable future-proofed platforms, optimised resources and scalability.”
About Canal Digital
Canal Digital proposes a rich content offer to DTH-customers, with over 130 TV channels to choose from. Close to one million DTH-households across the Nordics (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland) choose Canal Digital as their entertainment platform. Canal Digital has a strong HD position and presented 3D-content already in 2010. Through the service Canal Digital GO, customers are offer video on demand (VOD) and Web TV. Customers can also access the music streaming-service WiMP. Canal Digital AS is 100 % owned by Telenor Broadcast Holding, and has approximately 290 employees. Canal Digital generated a total of 4,221 million NOK in revenue in 2011. See www.canaldigital.com for more information.
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 90 of the world’s leading pay-TV platforms rely on NDS solutions to protect and enhance their business.
NDS’ VideoGuard® is the world’s market-leading content and service protection solution, deployed in 133 million pay-TV households. VideoGuard conditional access (CA) and digital rights management (DRM) technologies safeguard pay-TV service revenues exceeding $50 billion. NDS middleware, which enables a host of advanced services for subscribers, has been deployed on 226 million devices. NDS DVR technology, centred around XTV™, is a leader in the global industry with 49 million units deployed. (Deployment figures as of 30th April 2012).
Headquartered in the UK, with over 5000 employees, NDS remains committed to investing in technology and development with over 75% of its employees dedicated to pioneering work at development centres in France, India, Israel, Korea, UK and US.
NDS is now part of Cisco. See www.cisco.com/go/nds for more information.
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About Cisco
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Forward-Looking Statements
This release may be deemed to contain forward-looking statements, which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, among others, statements regarding Cisco's ability as a result of the acquisition to transform how service providers and media companies provide next generation entertainment experiences, acceleration of the delivery of Cisco's Videoscape platform, broadening opportunities in the service provider market and deepening customer relationships, expansion of Cisco's reach into new and emerging markets, the expected benefits of the acquisition to Cisco and its customers, the expected financial performance of Cisco (including projections) following completion of the acquisition, and plans regarding NDS personnel. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future events or results due to a variety of factors, including, among other things, the potential impact on the business of NDS due to the uncertainty about the acquisition, the retention of employees of NDS and the ability of Cisco to successfully integrate NDS and to achieve expected benefits, business and economic conditions and growth trends in the networking industry, customer markets and various geographic regions, global economic conditions and uncertainties in the geopolitical environment and other risk factors set forth in Cisco's most recent reports on Form 10-K and 10-Q filed on September 14, 2011 and May 23, 2012, respectively. Any forward-looking statements in this release are based on limited information currently available to Cisco, which is subject to change, and Cisco will not necessarily update the information.