Australia’s Telstra has signed a new, multi-year deal with Comcast-owned thePlatform to provision additional services on its TV Everywhere offering.
ThePlatform’s mpx system serves as Telstra’s central management system for its BigPond TV service that runs across multiple IP-connected devices. It’s an expanded role for thePlatform, which previously helped provision an Internet-based movie service for Telstra.
ThePlatform’s mpx video management and publishing system enables Telstra to deliver a hybrid live/on-demand IPTV service featuring BigPond TV, including music videos, sports and news, and BigPond Movies, including pay-per-view.
The expanded BigPond TV service uses Netgem’s hybrid T-Box to deliver Web-based video, VOD and linear content. The service also works with Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players from LG Electronics and Samsung.
“BigPond TV gives Telstra customers across Australia the ability to watch a great range of content, including sports, entertainment, movies and more on a wide range of devices, and thePlatform’s mpx system provides us with the reliability, scalability and flexibility that will help Telstra continue to deliver the next generation of IPTV services to our customers,” Telstra’s head of IPTV Ben Kinealy said.
With Telstra, thePlatform’s role is to provide a unified system for aggregating both linear and on-demand video from various content sources, formatting video content to different device specifications, and centrally managing and publishing this content for multiple purposes.
“Telstra is at the forefront of an emerging global trend among TV service providers,” said Ian Blaine, CEO of thePlatform. “Service providers are looking for a more efficient means to manage and deliver premium video content across any screen. One of the key differences when delivering IP video to the TV, rather than a computer, is that consumers will have a higher expectation for reliability and quality. So, we are extremely proud that Telstra has selected mpx to play such a central role in managing video for Telstra’s advanced set-top boxes and beyond.”
