Most everyone knows the Internet’s wealth of entertainment and information videos have knocked traditional linear TV for a loop. Accenture wants to make money by helping pay-TV services offer broadcast TV, video-on-demand and Internet videos to their subscribers on any device, anytime, anywhere
Accenture used last week’s National Association of Broadcasters trade show to announce a platform to help pay-TV services launch and operate a complete TV Everywhere service.
Called Accenture’s Over-The-Top TV (OTT TV) platform, viewers can access on their TV set both linear content from the broadcast networks and non-linear services such as catch-up TV and video-on-demand via a broadband connection. In addition, users can access content on PCs, mobile devices, gaming consoles and Web-connected TVs. The company said the product’s goal is to help “deliver a unified experience” to multiple devices and platforms plus give consumers “more choice and control.”
Accenture said OTT TV allows service providers to launch new services quickly and economically and reduces the initial high costs of IT and infrastructure setup. Based on a pre-integrated platform, OTT TV also minimizes the risk and complexity of managing multiple connections to third parties, the company said.
“The Web has created a new generation of television and video consumers, with expectations about freedom and flexibility from which there really is no retreat,” said Francesco Venturini, global broadcast lead of Accenture’s media and entertainment industry group. “Our solution makes it possible to integrate the PC and TV onto one device to better manage consumer profiles, experiences, behaviors and services in a fully converged way.”
The company said the OTT TV solution supports most standards for set-top boxes and Internet-enabled TVs. That, it said, allows for “a quick and easy deployment of interactive applications.”
OTT TV operators, it said, can engage and interact directly with their customer base, which will build “deeper, more effective long-term relationships.” The result is that advertisers can target their viewing audience with the same accuracy found in Web applications, targeting specific audiences. Interactive advertising a la the Web allows viewers to show their interest in a product shown on a TV commercial.
Angelo Morelli, global lead for Accenture’s new product development and innovation practice, said OTT TV allows service providers and pay-TV operators “to build a strong wholesale offering for content owners, including assets such as a content delivery network.”
The company said OTT TV offers, Broadcast TV with VOD and interactive applications; Personal TV experience allowing viewers to create a personal profile, customize TV needs, categories, and share contents with friends, schedule programming and purchase and record content over their PC or mobile phone; Targeted personalized advertising, according to favorite content, most-viewed content and community profile; Interactive advertising enabling viewers to express their interest in a product shown on a TV commercial, via a “wish list” application that the user can access on a Web portal.
Accenture says its system can reduce upfront capital expenditures by between 20% and 30%; reduce operating costs by between 30% and 40% and reduce churn rates by as much as 10%.