BT moves onto thePlatform to drive its IPTV services

It's Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Mediaroom out, Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) thePlatform in for BT (NYSE: BT) and its IPTV services BT Vision and YouView.

The British telco said it will use thePlatform's mpx video publishing system to manage video workflow, coordinate playback data in conjunction with recommendation engines and ensure that households get to see what they pay to see--and nothing more. BT had abandoned Mediaroom last year for a Linux-based system, setting off a search for a new system now filled by thePlatform. AT&T (NYSE: T) U-verse is the largest Mediaroom customer in the world, although TDS Telecom (NYSE: TDS) recently adopted the system as well.

"thePlatform has a history of success managing video on behalf of some of the largest pay-TV operators and media companies in the world [and] enables us to simplify many of our back-end processes by providing a centralized video logistics system capable of publishing video to our new set-top boxes, and other IP-connected devices in the future," Alex Green, BT's TV director, said in the press release.

Online video is a primary reason to make the move, added Ian Blaine, the CEO of thePlatform.

"For customers like BT, mpx has raised the bar significantly for the OVP (online video platform) category by demonstrating that it can manage actual TV--where the stakes, volumes, and expectations are far higher than on any other screen," he said.

According to the press release, BT is already using the mpx system to manage video across devices and delivering "an enhanced user experience with live, catch-up and on-demand TV on new IP-connected set-top boxes."

For more:
- BT issued this press release

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