Avail-TVN Announces First Cable MSO Customer for MPEG-4 Video Services

Agreement With Zito Media Will Provide All-MPEG-4 Line-Up to 10 Cable Systems Across the United States

SHERMAN OAKS, CA — Avail-TVN, the largest digital media services company in North America, today announced that Zito Media will become the first multi-system cable company in the United States to deploy its MPEG-4 linear video service across its footprint. Through an agreement with Evolution Digital, the systems integrator, and provider of Conax conditional access and low cost set-top boxes for the project, Zito Media will deploy Avail-TVN’s MPEG-4 solution across 10 cable systems. The company services 23,000 subscribers across Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

“Avail-TVN’s managed services allow us to move into next-generation video delivery seamlessly, while giving our customers a better television experience,” said James Rigas, president, Zito Media. “With Avail-TVN’s MPEG-4 solution, not only can we make better use of our existing bandwidth, allowing for growth of services such as HD, but also provide a platform upon which we can build to offer additional Avail-TVN products and services for our customers, while avoiding investment in physical plant upgrades.”

“Innovative service providers like Zito Media are turning to MPEG-4 because the bandwidth savings allow them to offer new and innovative services quickly and efficiently,” said Jim Riley, chief revenue officer, Avail-TVN. “Through our relationship with Evolution Broadband, Avail-TVN is able to bring the future of linear television to forward-thinking MSOs, deliver a superior customer experience and gain a competitive edge.”

The Avail-TVN MPEG-4 solution includes a full lineup of live television programming with hundreds of channels, all quality-encoded in MPEG-4, IP-encapsulated, encrypted, combined with VOD, and designed for future value-added services. Avail-TVN possesses an extensive content library, including transport rights from the top national programmers, including ABC-Disney, NBC Universal, MTV Networks, and Fox Cable Networks.

“Zito Media will be able to give subscribers access to the content they want, delivered in a highly efficient and reliable format,” said Chris Egan, CEO, Evolution Broadband. “Avail-TVN is a proven partner for us providing cable operators with an advanced MPEG-4 solution that ensures the highest quality image and reduces bandwidth requirements.”