With multiscreen services fast developing consumers will demand to access all content on all devices.
“It is not acceptable to consumers if people can view content on one device and not on another, so unified rights management is key,” said Steve Oetegenn, chief sales and marketing officer, Verimatrix at this morming’s breakfast session The many faces of hybrid.
“And it is particularly important for cloud based service, which can be reached from anywhere in the world. Of course it is not only what the operator allows, but also a question of content rights owner as different owners might have different rules.”
Eric Meijer, senior product developer and project manager at Ziggo, told the audience that Holland’s largest cable operator has chosen to offer all interactive and multiscreen services in the cloud.
Ziggo really didn’t have a choice, as there is a large population of legacy set-tops out there. “We decided to bring all functionality is in the cloud, and the equipment at the customers’ home only has a small client.”
The includes having the user interface in the cloud giving the various devices the same interface, so the iPad has the same look and feel as the set-top with everything streaming from the cloud.”
At an earlier stage, Ziggo also introduced – actually as the very first cable operator in the world – CI+, which allows viewers to connect directly to the cable network with their TV set without a set-top box.
Liberty Global has a “somewhat different approach,” said Daniel Hesselbarth, senior manager interactive and innovation, Unitymedia KabelBW, who said the operator will roll out the Horizon box in Germany at the end of the summer.
The operator will be up to quite a challegene, as “German customers are afraid to try new things on their TV.” Horizon will act as an all-singing, all-dancing home gateway.
In theory, a cloud based service such as Ziggo could be rolled out outside the operator’s footprint. “Technical it is not an issue to lasunch off-net services, but content rights are the biggest issue.
“We first tried to get content rights for in and around the house on different ddevices – that took a lot of discussiion. To go OTT, then you have a new discussion with new obstacles.”
