SureWest Communications is rolling out IPTV based on Microsoft’s Mediaroom platform in its Sacramento, Calif., market.
The service provider announced it would be creating a service based on Mediaroom last summer.
In its promotions for its new service, called Advanced Digital TV, SureWest is touting the advantages inherent in Mediaroom that helped SureWest settle on the Microsoft platform in the first place:
- Whole-home DVR, with the ability to watch up to four channels at a time
- The ability to record up to four channels at one time (two HD)
- Fast channel change
- Picture-in-picture
“We are extremely excited about the enthusiasm this new TV service is creating among residential customers,” said Steve Oldham, SureWest’s president and CEO. “Just two weeks into our soft sales launch, and with the marketing campaign still forthcoming, initial demand is already sizable. Our sales team is reporting a high level of excitement and sales results that are exceeding our expectations. Our voice and data customers have been excited about adding this new service, and we are also capturing brand new customers due to its reliability and ease of use.”
SureWest recently spent $3 million to expand its network, allowing it to add video to its voice/data bundle to another 25,000 homes on the company’s copper network. That extends the service’s entire footprint to about 205,000 homes.
“In addition to the extensive customer benefits, Advanced Digital TV allows us to reach new potential video subscribers and grow the number of services taken by our customers at a very low cost of deployment and without expanding our network,” Oldham said. “This launch is key to our long-held strategy of cost-effectively growing revenues on existing networks.”
