thePlatform, the white-label video publishing company behind product from Liberty Global and BT TV, has launched a new Virtual TV Framework designed to enable platform operators to replicate their linear and on demand services from within the cloud.
Ian Blaine, CEO of thePlatform, explained operators that had traditionally used thePlatform for online portals were now starting to rely on it as a more central system.
Although in part a repackaging of thePlatform’s existing product offer, the Comcast-backed company is opening up its mpx platform and its open APIs direct to customers. “It’s not a coalition of one, but a coalition of several, and we’ve built a framework that harmonises others.”
Companies can give thePlatform one large “master” file (known as a mezzanine) that can then be automatically reformatted and published to meet different bandwidth and device needs.
With a mind on the GI-SA systems that dominated the US market for many years, thePlatform is emphasising the openness of its system. “We’ve done everything based on open standards, so we are running the risk of being replaced ourselves,” says Blaine.
The Virtual TV Framework provides cloud-based management of linear TV, VOD, enhanced discovery and personalization, targeted adverting, commerce, content protection, and multi-screen user interfaces
It runs through mpx’s open APIs and best-in-class technology partners, along with underlying innovations in unified metadata management, video ingest, and distribution.
