Integrating more OTT into Pay TV

Pay TV operators are starting to make greater use of streaming video within the home, but not just for multi-screen TV. There are plenty of examples of Pay TV operators delivering their own online video into their set-top boxes, often satellite providers making VOD available. A big question now is whether they will start allowing third-party online video (from ‘traditional’ OTT services) to be presented to their customers via their STB and user interface.

Joshua Danovitz, VP and GM International at TiVo, whose middleware platform is the basis for next-generation cable services at Virgin Media and soon at Com Hem, thinks platform operators will open up. He notes a dramatic softening in the attitude of cable operators towards services that compete for either attention or money, for example. “YouTube was previously viewed as a rival for eyeballs but is now considered a benefit for the overall user experience,” he offers as an example.