29th August 2011
Five questions with Fernando Enrile about Digital + à la carta
1. When did you launch Digital + a la carta and why?
We launched it in February 2011 but it’s been a long time in the planning. The idea behind it was to offer subscribers an ‘anytime, anywhere and on any device’ VOD and catch-up TV service. It came about following the launch over three years ago of our advanced set-top box platform, iPLUS. Giving subscribers VOD access via broadband was a challenge but the development of our platform and the Digital + a la carta service gives subscribers the best of both worlds – satellite and broadband together in a single service.
2. What does Digital + a la carta offer to subscribers?
It gives our customers the ability to access on demand all our premium content through a broadband connection, whenever they want and regardless of which ISP they use. They can access our service, either through our iPLUS set-top box or via their PC. And soon, they’ll be able to access it through their mobile phone and tablet.
3. What technology and business challenges did you have to overcome in launching the service? How did you overcome these?
There have been several technology challenges along the way. We upgraded our broadcast platform to deliver thousands of linear channels - to seamlessly and cost-effectively procure content in a VOD format. The content has to be encrypted and metadata added before it’s finally published on a CDN. Managing this whole new workflow has been a challenge.
We updated our systems to manage the new metadata and rights controls, and added Ethernet connectivity and progressive downloading capabilities to the iPLUS platform. We then had to ensure that we integrated the new services with existing, popular ones without impairing the user experience. Finally, we had to add DRM capabilities.
We also had to develop new client applications and architectures for new devices in our ecosystem – currently for PCs, and soon for iOS and Android mobiles. And we’ve had to convince content owners that our solution is secure enough to manage and control their premium content.
4. How did you go about evaluating different solutions and why did you choose the Nagra OTT solution?
We spent a long time analysing various market solutions. At the time, the workflow solution and service delivery platform weren’t sufficient for a hybrid scenario so the solutions we chose had to be improved to meet our requirements. For security, we upgraded our NAGRA protected ecosystem by adding the NAGRA DRM solution both for the traditional set-top box and for new media devices such as PCs and mobiles.
5. How successful has Digital + a la carta been so far and how do you plan to develop the service in future?
Our customers have been delighted with the service. Despite needing to connect their iPLUS box to their broadband router themselves, and the fact we only did a soft launch, we connected 20,000 subscribers in the first few days, with an average consumption of two pieces of content per subscriber, per day.
We’re extending DIGITAL+ across several devices and networks. We’re also working to add new features such as recommendation and advanced searching to build a true content discovery experience.
