Ericsson ventures into local pay TV market

Technology firm Ericsson has launched a pay TV platform targeted towards mobile operators and content players. PHOTO | ERICSSON 

In Summary

• The cloud based product will be competing against satellite and cable connected television with the closest technology being fibre connected.
• The product under the fit of a business-to-business-to-consumer TV platform enters a rigid and limited industry where consumers have little or no control over content they watch.
• MediaFirst was first piloted by Canadian telecommunications company TELUS with over 950,000 TV subscribers.

By WINFRED KURIA
More by this Author

Sweden-based technology firm Ericsson has launched a pay TV platform targeted at mobile operators and content providers.

The new product will enable telecommunications operators to avail and sell content subscriptions through fast Internet.

Users will also have a choice of networks to transmit content either through 3G and 4G networks or through fibre to the home.

Just like web services, MediaFirst will empower the operator to control content provision from the back end.

The rise of broadband connectivity, cloud services and mobility has ushered in a highly disruptive period for the entire TV and media value chain.

Media houses are a key target of the platform that provides viewership options, such as pay- per- view on demand content.

The world’s largest maker of mobile-phone networks says MediaFirst is designed to combine the best of traditional pay TV and over-the-top (over the internet) services in a bid to personalise television.

NO CONTROL OF CONTENT

Considering its business model, subscribers are not guaranteed full control over content since service providers in the country will have the upper hand in the execution. As the pay TV market continues to take shape, content control will grow flexible.

As of the end of 2014, there were 3.29 million free to air users across Kenya end-2014. Analogue terrestrial was by far the largest access method accounting for 78 per cent of total users, followed by digital terrestrial television with 19 per cent.

Even after migration, uptake of digital television is still not up to scale in the Kenya compared to other countries in Africa.

MediaFirst was first piloted by Canadian telecommunications company TELUS with over 950,000 TV subscribers.

Next Embassy to set up centre for potato information