MGt makes play for Canvas micropayments

IBC 2010 – Hall 9. Stand IP 432. MGt, the billing and customer services specialist, is launching a new product designed to address the micropayments market many believe will emerge as delivery platforms evolve. At the heart of this is the BBC-led Project Canvas, as well as three screen delivery systems.

PayWizard centres around a pre-paid e-wallet that securely supports micropayment transactions in multiple currencies. Customers would be able to top up the wallet in a number of ways, including direct debit, one-off or periodic credit card payments and via automated payments based on a user-defined threshold. PayWizard also manages all traditional subscription-based pay-TV billing.

MGt chief executive Jonathan Guthrie told Broadband TV News PayWizard was “most definitely” a play for the Canvas market that is expected to see its first receivers deployed during 2011. “If you look at the DSat market that is independent of Sky, they virtually all come to us, we want to create that same scenario in the Canvas world where we are the provider of choice to manage pre-payments on the Canvas platform.”

Founded over 12 years ago by a group of former executives at Sky’s customer care operations in Livingston, MGt has picked up the majority of its business from third party pay channels which have preferred not to completely throw their lot in with Sky. Customers include Top Up TV, BT, Digital UK and Sony Entertainment Television.