Eutelsat KabelKiosk's Cable Platform Gears up for Hybrid TV - New Collaboration With Rovi Signed to Support Video on Demand Services
COLOGNE, Germany, May 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The German affiliate of Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) and Rovi Corporation (NASDAQ: ROVI) are combining their skills for the launch in third quarter 2011 of a Video On Demand service on KabelKiosk, the leading platform of TV channels and value added services provided by Eutelsat Germany for digital cable operators in continental Europe. An agreement between Rovi and Eutelsat Germany to integrate Rovi's Nowtilus entertainment delivery platform into KabelKiosk was announced during the ANGA Cable fair in Cologne.
The collaboration covers the deployment of Rovi's Nowtilus entertainment delivery platform to power a comprehensive Video on Demand offer via KabelKiosk interaktiv, the interactive option to be available in the KabelKiosk service. In addition, Rovi will supply technical and editorial services, digitisation of content and comprehensive support to operate the hybrid application. KabelKiosk interaktiv will be available on HbbTV receivers and TV screens. The commercial launch of the service is planned for third quarter 2011 for the networks of KabelKiosk partners.
KabelKiosk interaktiv has been developed by Eutelsat Germany to allow a smart connection of TV and Internet for a smooth transition from the linear KabelKiosk TV-offering to non-linear content. Red button applications support on-demand information and video clips to complement the linear TV channels. The distribution of individual content by network operators is an additional feature for recent news and network-specific offerings. Network operators will be able to deploy their own design and marketing to brand the hybrid service. The completely revised layout of KabelKiosk interaktiv offers a range of new features and optimised navigation. An intuitive user navigation facilitates quick selection of content with only a few keys of the remote control.
"Based on our comprehensive digital entertainment experience in retail, telco and publishing, we are working with Eutelsat to provide instant access to premium content to as many end users as possible", commented Leander Carell, Managing Director of Sales & Marketing Nowtilus at Rovi. "This will open up new and tangible business opportunities for all KabelKiosk clients," added Patrick Knippel, Managing Director of Business Development for Nowtilus at Rovi.
"As a first, KabelKiosk interaktiv will offer innovative hybrid TV services to digital cable networks in Europe. Working with Rovi and using their Nowtilus platform is a very important step to powering the Video on Demand component of KabelKiosk", Martina Rutenbeck, Managing Director of Eutelsat Germany, said in Cologne. "It strengthens our objective to build a hybrid portfolio, especially in terms of VoD, and to offer network operators a competitive portal that underscores the advantages of digital cable networks."
Nowtilus is a turnkey entertainment platform that offers content rights and licensing, as well as the technologies and infrastructure needed to launch user-friendly digital entertainment services. Nowtilus offers a full range of capabilities including platform development, administration and support, as well as billing and reporting. Nowtilus-powered services enable consumers to securely access premium entertainment on Windows and Mac systems and consumer electronics devices including connected TVs, set-top boxes, game consoles, and mobile devices. Nowtilus GmbH was acquired by Rovi Corporation earlier this year.
About Rovi Corporation
Rovi Corporation is focused on revolutionizing the digital entertainment landscape by delivering solutions that enable consumers to intuitively connect to new entertainment from many sources and locations. The company also provides extensive entertainment discovery solutions for television, movies, music and photos to its customers in the consumer electronics, cable and satellite, entertainment and online distribution markets. These solutions, complemented by industry leading entertainment data, create the connections between people and technology, and enable them to discover and manage entertainment in an enjoyable form.
Rovi holds nearly 5,000 issued or pending patents worldwide and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with numerous offices across the United States and around the world including Berlin, Japan, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom. More information about Rovi can be found at http://www.rovicorp.com
Eutelsat visAvision GmbH
KabelKiosk is an independent and integrated digital channel- and service-platform for European cable networks, operated by Eutelsat visAvision GmbH Cologne, a Eutelsat company. KabelKiosk offers a simple and cost-efficient distribution of German and multi-national TV-channels as well as Hybrid-services to cable networks. Thus, network operators and housing companies are able to compile own Digital TV packages to clients and tenants giving full customer control. A comprehensive supply of services is given by KabelKiosk as well, including technical and legal support, encryption and satellite-based signal contribution to network headends. To advance digitalization of cable networks KabelKiosk offers BasisHD, a Free TV package comprising 35 digital SD-channels as well as RTL HD, VOX HD, Pro7, Sat1 and kabel1 in high-resolution quality. For Pay TV KabelKiosk provides a comprehensive choice of German and foreign-language channels. Premium German entertainment channels are supplied by the packages FamilyXL, the promotion packs Lifestyle, Doku & News, Music & Emotion, Fun & Sports and MTV Tune-inn. HD Extra addresses clients asking for high resolution entertainment. Foreign languages bouquets cover nine different languages with 32 channels: Turkish, Russian, Polish, Italian, French, Serbian, English, Portuguese and Spanish. http://www.kabelkiosk.de
About Eutelsat Communications
Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 27 satellites that provide coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues. At 31 December 2010, Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting more than 3,700 television channels to over 200 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The Group's satellites also serve a wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, TV contribution markets, corporate networks, and broadband markets for Internet Service Providers and for transport, maritime and in-flight markets. Eutelsat's broadband subsidiary, Skylogic, markets and operates access to high speed Internet services through teleports in France and Italy that serve enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ 683 commercial, technical and operational employees from 28 countries.
SOURCE Eutelsat Communications
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