Allente, the company created through the combination of Viasat Consumer and Canal Digital is to rollout new 3SS-enabled viewing experiences on KAON STBs and middleware.
An aggregated 1.2 million subscriber base in the Nordic region will benefit from the 3SS operating system that will run on the new KAON STB featuring PVR enabled with Media CAS based on BCM72180.
Allente’s new hybrid KAON PVR STB is made for an enhanced user experience and new services, and is more powerful than incumbent OnePlace on-premise equipment. With a host of advanced features, the new devices will enable Allente’s subscribers to enjoy a range of benefits from high performance to an already proven enriched customer experience.
Jon Espen Nergård, Allente CTO, said, “Delivering these new powerful STBs to our audiences is a major milestone as we open our new chapter as Allente. Thanks to our key partners, KAON and 3SS, we are well-equipped to further build on our award-winning successes, and we look forward to providing even better experiences to our valued subscribers.”
The merger of Viasat with Canal Digital as Allente brings to an end three decades of competition between the satellite-based pay-TV operators at 5 degrees East and 1 degree West.
The new STBs will be deployed in a phased rollout. Online OTT viewing will be enabled first, followed by DTH satellite-delivered TV, and later, PVR capability and IPTV will be introduced.
“The highly fragmented and competitive entertainment landscape today is more challenging than ever for operators, and the need to provide superior experiences for subscribers is business-essential; we are honored to have been selected by Allente, a true world leader, to help deliver first-class experiences to viewers today and tomorrow,” commented Tom Buhl, KAON Media Executive Vice President.
The KAON STB middleware has been integrated with Google’s Android TV software stack to enable new pre-certified Android TV capabilities such as Custom Over-The-Air Update, further accelerating the introduction of new features that will generate value for customers, enhance viewer appeal and grow service uptake.
“We are extremely proud that Allente continues to trust our team to help deliver advanced TV entertainment to consumers across the Nordic region,” commented Kai-Christian Borchers, Managing Director of 3SS.
Part of Allente’s technology evolution is the migration of OnePlace from Android N to Android P compliancy, including on existing OnePlace STBs.