MUMBAI: Consulting and outsourcing group Accenture said it has acquired the software and skills of Nokia Siemens Networks Internet Protocol television (IPTV) business. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The newly-acquired IPTV software, assets and capabilities will be integrated with the Accenture Video Solution – a software product and a suite of services that enables companies to launch new over-the-top TV and services quickly and economically while reducing the initial costs of IT and infrastructure set-up – to create the industry’s most comprehensive, feature-rich video software and services platform currently available for video service providers and their subscribers.
The acquisition adds key IPTV skills and experience to Accenture’s existing over-the-top video capabilities, enabling Accenture to provide end-to-end technology integration services to any vendor for any video platform. Accenture will be able to help clients provide end users with a dynamic and interactive video experience with virtually any video content, in any format, across every network, on any device – from smart phones and tablets to personal computers and television sets.
Additionally, Accenture’s enhanced broadband video services – with a platform that manages seamless integration of devices – will give end users the ability to control their viewing experience, such as accessing content through a tablet, pausing whatever they may be watching and continuing to view that content at a later time – at home on a TV, a laptop computer, smart phone, or tablet.
“The combination of Nokia Siemens Networks’ IPTV assets with Accenture’s over-the-top TV software and capabilities, will deliver an exciting new combination of services to the global video industry,” said Accenture’s Media & Entertainment industry group MD Marco Vernocchi. “The scalable and flexible end solution we are creating will help video service providers dramatically change the way they approach content distribution while balancing costs.”
“Consumers want to control the content they view, but they also want to manage where and when they view that content,” said Vernocchi. “They also want to be able to choose the device on which the content is delivered. Consumers also want the flexibility to watch a video while posting comments on social media sites or chatting with their friends about the content they are viewing. Access to content in a personalized way is here to stay, and we can expect to see even more features that allow users to make viewing a personal, mobile, dynamic video experience.”
