OTT has taken a big step forward in the Balkan region with the launch of a new white label platform.
Known as UnyQTV, it is operated by Unicoms Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bulgarian company Unicoms Trading. As we have already reported in Broadband TV News, it employs advanced technology provided by Conax and Appear TV.
Furthermore, it uses two business models. The first, as a pure white label service, only needs rebranding. It offers a selection of Bulgarian and foreign channels, various price packages and the ability to compete with the best platforms on the market without an initial investment.
Importantly, its OPEX-based model requires expenses on a monthly basis according to the number of subscribers.
The second business model is based on revenue sharing and has no risk to the operator as it requires no initial investment. Subscribers sign agreements directly with UnyQTV and the service offers packages and programmes with pay-TV rights, which are usually difficult for small and medium sized cable and internet companies to obtain. In addition, it provides to opportunity for operators to offer bundled services, including multiscreen.
Speaking to Broadband TV News at this week’s TV Connect in London, Nastya Popova, the executive director at Unicoms Trading, said the white label offer was already up and running and the revenue sharing one should be available in early May.
She also said that UnyQTV would allow smaller companies to compete with leading players in Bulgaria, all of which already offer their customers multiscreen services. Bundling would be made easier by the fact that most operators in the country already use fibre to deliver high-speed internet access.
Popova underlined the fact that the company had already secured agreements with such leading players as HBO, which would have been hard to obtain for small operators. Looking beyond Bulgaria, she saw particular potential for UnyQTV in Albania and Macedonia.
Unicoms Services has a long-established relationship with Conax and already hosts over 50 operators in the Balkans region with Conax Contego conditional access. Its entry into the OTT market should be viewed as a welcome development by the industry.
