HONG KONG - (Business Wire) TANDBERG Television, part of the Ericsson Group (NASDAQ:ERIC), today announced Hybrid Television Services (ANZ) Pty Limited, the exclusive licensee of TiVo® products in Australia and New Zealand, is deploying a complete suite of TANDBERG Television software solutions to enable carrier class Video On-Demand to the television via broadband Internet. Hybrid TV will give New Zealand customers access to a wide range of On-Demand movies and TV programming via their TiVo media device from November. CASPA On-Demand is the brand name for this world of broadband entertainment including new release movies, hit TV shows for the whole family as well as free music videos, artist interviews and music concerts. CASPA represents one of the first and largest implementations of true On-Demand to the television in Australasia.
“People want to watch television on the television. This is not only broadcast TV – but also includes TV content delivered over broadband. By enabling VOD movies and television content within the TiVo service we are giving our customers more than free-to-air television…we are providing it all without any late fees or trips to the video store,” comments Robbee Minicola, CEO at Hybrid TV.
“We needed a strategic partner that shared our vision for a personalized, multi-screen TV future. What we did not expect, but experienced first hand, was their professional approach and their willingness to stand, side-by-side with us through the entire process…which often resulted in us all working until the wee hours of the morning,” she added.
As part of a centralized, multi-territory VOD service, Hybrid TV is using TANDBERG Television’s new, award-winning WatchPoint® Content Management System (CMS), OpenStream® Digital Services Platform on-demand back-office solution, AdPoint® Advanced Advertising Platform and Xport® Producer storage encoding solution.
The CASPA On-Demand service will be delivered using progressive download over a subscriber’s existing broadband connection and complements the free-to-air digital terrestrial television (DTT) services available via TiVo receivers in New Zealand and Australia. TANDBERG Television and Ericsson played a critical role in helping Hybrid TV meet its ambitious New Zealand launch deadline, creating a working beta solution within two months and enabling commercial roll-out a month later.
Dario Choi, Executive VP & General Manager, Asia Pacific, TANDBERG Television, part of the Ericsson group, comments: “Hybrid TV is an innovative service provider that is changing the way people watch television. We are proud to be involved in this landmark project and to provide Hybrid TV with our complete suite of software products, which enable efficient VOD management and are designed to deliver the highest quality experience to every device, across every platform. We are really pleased with how fast and painless our integration with TiVo applications and content discovery processes has been. That is a tribute to our open architecture solutions and our professional services.”
About Hybrid Television Services (ANZ) Pty Limited
Hybrid Television Services (ANZ) Pty Limited is the exclusive licensee of TiVo products in Australia and New Zealand. The TiVo media device is Freeview compliant in Australia and Freeview|HD compatible in New Zealand. The TiVo service combines digital terrestrial television with broadband movies, games and services (CASPA On-Demand).
The TiVo product was originally pioneered in 1997 in the USA by TiVo Inc. In 2008, TiVo technology was brought to Australia by Hybrid Television Services (ANZ) Pty Limited in August 2008 and will be available in New Zealand from November 2009. Hybrid TV is owned by the Seven Media Group (Australia) and TVNZ (New Zealand). For more information see www.mytivo.com.au or www.mytivo.co.nz
TiVo, 'TiVo, TV your way.', Season Pass, WishList, TiVoToGo, Stop||Watch, Power||Watch, and the TiVo Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of TiVo Inc. or its subsidiaries worldwide. ©2009. TiVo Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
About TANDBERG Television
TANDBERG Television, part of the Ericsson Group, delivers the multimedia technology and expertise that is moving digital video forward. Whether it's advanced compression systems, on-demand or content distribution, the company's award-winning solutions are used by the world's leading broadcasters, operators and programmers to deliver new viewer experiences and advertising opportunities. With a broad suite of open, standards-based products, TANDBERG Television offers the highest quality solutions for Digital TV, HDTV, VOD, and IPTV. For more information, please visit www.tandbergtv.com
About Ericsson
Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 1 billion subscribers and has a leading position in managed services. The company's portfolio comprises of mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.
Ericsson is advancing its vision "to be the prime driver in an all-communicating world" through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 75,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 209 billion (USD 32.2 billion) in 2008. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX NASDAQ, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.
www.ericsson.com
www.twitter.com/ericssonpress
For TANDBERG Television media information:
Corporate/EMEA/APAC
Gay Bell
+44-207-486-4900
gbell@platformpr.com
or
APAC
Bonnie Tan
+852-2899-7098
btan@tandbergtv.com
