Canadian IPTV software firm Espial and US encoding outfit Harmonic will be hoping their pre-IBC collaboration will provide plenty of opportunities to snap up a couple of customers in time for the major European TV event next month. The two companies waxed lyrical about targeting MVPDs (multichannel video programming distributors) this week, without a single mention of powering virtual versions (otherwise known as OTT skinny bundles) – which surely should be the grand appeal of a cloud-based software-as-a-service video platform? This small detail suggests we can expect any customer win to be tier 3 at best and most likely a legacy North American pay TV operator. By definition, the umbrella term MVPD covers any cable operator, direct broadcast satellite service,…