Only weeks after German cable operator association Deutsche Netzmarketing GmbH (DNMG) confirmed cooperation with Swiss IPTV solutions provider Zattoo and ABOX42. The developers white label IPTV multiscreen service will be made available to members, with German broadband provider Breitbandversorgung Deutschland (BBV) signed to become the first adopter.
BBV’s new multiscreen offering will go live this autumn. ABOX42’s M20-Series SmartSTB set-top-boxes will provide the first screen experience for the new platform, with Zattoo enabling first and second screen functionality. The platform is a full-service solution for DNMG members wanting to quickly and easily deploy an IPTV-based cable TV offering.
“When most operators move into IPTV, there are normally a couple different stakeholders involved – providers for the middleware, the headend system, transcoding, DRM, playout to set-top-boxes. It ends up being a complex project with 12 months development time or more, and a lot of cost and frustration,” explained Oliver Soellner (pictured), ABOX42’s vice president business development & sales.
“With our new white label IPTV solution, we take all that away. The customer can roll out a customised IPTV service within one quarter because it’s an already existing platform with the essential ingredients fully operated by ABOX42 and Zattoo,” stressed Soellner. “There’s no hardware investment for the IPTV solution itself, no maintenance and no major development required from operator side. The only thing the customer needs to do is roll out the set-top-boxes and do the marketing for the service and the billing.”
Frank Bonnemeier, business director of BBV Deutschland, added: “After searching the market for over a year, we were delighted about the launch of DNMG’s fully hosted and managed IPTV solution. ABOX42’s set-top-box technology and Zattoo’s second screen technology combine to create a first and second screen solution which is not only hassle free in terms of set up, project management and live operation, but also leading edge, with a rich feature set, future-proof software architecture and a price performance that allows us to pay as we grow.”
