A roundup of vendor and operator news from around the globe. Today's edition includes Latin America (LATAM), Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Europe.
Mexico
Verimatrix will be securing revenue for Mexican multiple system operator (MSO) Megacable as it transitions from offering traditional cable to hybrid services. The Verimatrix Video Content Authority System (VCAS for Broadcast Hybrid solution manages secure video delivery over Megacable's broadcast, multicast and over-the-top (OTT) networks to single-network and hybrid receivers, plus a range of mobile devices. Verimatrix already secures the revenue of Megacable's first IPTV over FTTH pilot service, which is delivered to nearly 15,000 homes in the city of Guanajuato, and the deployment is now being extended to encompass the entire customer base. The first launch of Megacable's new services took place in July.
Megacable Comunicaciones has 2.9 million TV subscribers, 2.4 million Internet subscribers and 1.3 million telephone subscribers.
Japan
Japanese cable operator Jupiter Telecommunications (J:COM) has selected Ericsson's (NASDAQ:ERIC) MediaFirst TV Platform to enable a personalized multiscreen TV experience to its 3.7 million subscribers. The basic design phase is scheduled to commence in Q4 2017.
The new TV service is intended to provide J:COM subscribers with new features including a personalized TV experience on all screens and the ability to watch live TV and access content on demand on any device. Ericsson will also deploy the industry standard RDK in J:COM's set top boxes and a conditional access system to enable the delivery of UltraHD content. Additionally, it will deliver new monetization opportunities such as more effective content recommendation services, by leveraging Ericsson's data analytics.
Greece
Greek communications provider Forthnet has deployed Zenterio OS on set-top boxes for its satellite pay TV offering. Forthnet added OTT services, VOD content, and a USB DVB-T dongle to its legacy set-tops, while retaining the look and feel of the existing user interface (UI). More than 650,000 deployed set-tops have been upgraded to Zenterio OS, and the software has also been added to next-generation set-tops delivered to new subscribers.
Zenterio OS is an independent operating system with technology that separates software from hardware to reduce integration times and enable compatibility between Forthnet's existing and next-generation set-tops. Zenterio OS will be demonstrated at IBC2017 in Amsterdam.
Russia
According to Digital TV Research, Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) is expected to withdraw from Russia. The research house estimates that Netflix will have 3.43 million subscribers in eastern Europe by 2022, nearly triple its 2016 result. Amazon Prime Video is expected to have 1.12 million subscribers there by 2022.
Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research, said: "These numbers may seem modest, but they will be accomplished without any subscribers in Russia. The Russian regulator has recently introduced a 20% foreign ownership equity limit on OTT platforms (with more than 100,000 subscribers). We believe that this will force Netflix and Amazon Prime Video to abandon their standalone platforms. This is a major blow to their global ambitions."