Entone's FusionTV™ Fuels Broadband TV Service for Unity Telecom

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012
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Brings to Question Services That Defy FCC

CUPERTINO, CA — Entone, Inc., a leading provider of Hybrid TV and Connected Home solutions, announced today that Unity Telecom has selected its FusionTV™ solution to launch a first-of-its-kind Broadband TV service that unites live HDTV programming and cloud-based services.

In contrast to other emerging Broadband TV models that require proprietary head-end equipment and market-by-market retransmission agreements, Entone’s FusionTV service aligns service operators and broadcasters with existing FCC regulations. FusionTV also prevents conflicts with broadcasters by allowing operators to embrace the popularity of free-to-air (FTA) programming.

“Unity Telecom is dedicated to providing next-gen broadband solutions,” said Chuck Schneider, President and CEO of Unity Telecom. “Entone’s FusionTV stands in stark contrast to other Broadband TV models that defy the FCC and broadcast industry. With FusionTV, we steer clear of legal gray areas concerning Broadband TV solutions. Entone’s FusionTV enables us to quickly deploy a video-centric service across our entire broadband footprint without the complexities and cost associated with local programming, allowing us to cost-effectively deliver a differentiating Broadband TV service that blends linear TV with cloud-based media services and over-the-top (OTT) content.”

Unity Telecom will distribute Entone’s FusionTV service through its nationwide network of over 3,500 retail locations, offering consumers a new Broadband TV service model that combines live HDTV programs via FTA and full digital video recorder (DVR) capabilities. With FusionTV, Unity Telecom will also be able to offer cloud-based media services, such as VUDU’s streaming library of over 50,000 titles and more than 50 popular web applications like photo sharing from Flickr and Picasa and social networking from Facebook and Twitter — all from a single device.

According to a February 2012 report from Nielsen, the number of US households that have opted for a pairing of broadcast TV-only and broadband Internet connection rose 22.8% compared to a year ago. The report notes that these consumers are not necessarily cord-cutters, but may be former broadcast TV-only homes that upgraded to Internet service.

“FusionTV appeals to a growing segment of consumers who are attracted to the economics of FTA broadcast content complemented by online media services,” said Andrew Morton, Vice President of Broadband TV Solutions at Entone. “Unlike standalone OTT services, this is an Input 1 service with live TV and DVR, just targeted at a more cost-conscious market segment than premium Pay TV services. We look forward to supporting Unity Telecom as they roll out their new Broadband TV service in the coming months.”