Liberty Global has expanded its collaboration with Infosys to evolve and scale its digital entertainment and connectivity platforms.
Building on their existing multi-year collaboration which has supported Liberty Global’s technology services platforms since February 2020, the companies will expand the program, with Infosys taking over build and operations of Liberty Global’s Horizon entertainment and connectivity platforms. This includes the Horizon TV platform and Go app.
The parties have entered into an initial five-year agreement, with an option to extend to eight years and beyond. Infosys will provide services to Liberty Global estimated at €1.5 billion over the initial five-year term and at €2.3 billion if the contract is extended to eight years. The collaboration allows Liberty Global to realise run-rate savings in excess of €100 million per annum, inclusive of other savings and technology investments.
The expanded collaboration will additionally create career opportunities for more than 400 Liberty Global employees joining Infosys. Under the terms of the business arrangements, senior executives and technology teams from Liberty Global’s Product, Technology Development Service Delivery Group, Network & Shared Operations and Security Groups will transition to Infosys and benefit from its global scale and reach.
Commenting on the collaboration, Mike Fries, CEO, Liberty Global, said: “Strengthening and expanding our collaboration with Infosys gives our best- in-class solutions new scale with the ability to reach many more markets and bring positive experiences to more customers. And while it produces substantial central cost savings over time, it also provides excellent opportunities for our talent to grow their specialist skills and nurture impactful careers with Infosys. We look forward to working together to accelerate innovation and make our entertainment solutions even more powerful and engaging as new generations of digital-first customers continue to demand more from us all”.
Salil Parekh, CEO & MD, Infosys, added: “We are excited to bring Infosys Topaz to enable transformative AI-first capabilities to complement the cloud-first digital foundation we have laid for Liberty Global using Infosys Cobalt. This will unveil a new chapter in our joint journey of innovation as we reimagine entertainment and the connectivity experience for millions of global consumers. The strength of our global operations will also help the business scale across markets. As we prepare to welcome new talent and teams of innovators to Infosys, we look forward to building on the trust that Liberty Global has in us”.
Enrique Rodriguez, CTO, Liberty Global, said: “Our collaboration with Infosys started a few years ago, and since then we’ve made great progress in jointly establishing our best-in-class entertainment and connectivity platforms. This expansion of our relationship is the right next step to further strengthen the performance of our digital-first entertainment and connectivity solutions, scale their reach and impact, even as we chart the next round of innovations that we will drive together”.
Anand Swaminathan, executive VP – global head of communications, media & technology, Infosys, added, “Infosys’ collaboration with Liberty Global will deliver state-of-the-art, AI-powered entertainment solutions-as-a-service that will bring great flexibility to 10 million Liberty Global customers. We will also offer these platforms as a powerful choice to other telecom clients. We are excited to welcome Liberty Global’s specialist talent to Infosys to deliver on this ambitious program”.
The agreement is subject to regulatory approvals and consultations with relevant works councils.
