Canal Digital to launch next generation TV platform as a hosted managed service from NDS

Canal Digital and NDS Enable a New Generation of Immersive, Personalised TV Entertainment; Platform to provide an immersive multi-screen experience in and out of the home

OSLO, Norway & LONDON — NDS Group, now part of Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO), and Canal Digital, the leading DTH pay-TV provider in the Nordics, today announced that they are collaborating to launch a next-generation TV platform as a hosted, managed service. Enabling both satellite and Over-the-Top (OTT) service delivery, the new platform will allow Canal Digital subscribers to access content anytime, anywhere and on multiple devices – whether in the home or on the go.

The premise for the new service is to provide an immersive TV experience that is personalised to the individual. By enabling features that enrich the TV experience, such as viewer profiles or contextual applications, both on the main screen and devices, subscribers will be empowered to experience TV entertainment in new and exciting ways – all through one unified, intuitive user interface (UI).

As an end-to-end hybrid infrastructure, delivered, hosted and managed for Canal Digital by NDS, the new platform will provide a scalable and flexible service that will allow for additional innovative features to be deployed quickly and easily after launch.

NDS Snowflake™, the award winning user experience framework, will provide the basis for the UI to be implemented across all devices as part of the Canal Digital service. NDS Snowflake enables unified, intuitive navigation of content and services that centres on linear programming with the ability to scroll into the “past” or “future,” providing fluid discovery of both catch-up and on-demand content, all through a consistent branded experience with integrated programme recommendations and applications.

Powered by a hosted NDS Unified Headend™, which will reside outside of the Canal Digital network, the subscriber’s home will be connected through a multimedia gateway that distributes content and metadata-based services around the home over IP to complement satellite delivered programming.

To enable advanced functionality throughout the home, the gateway and multi-tuner hybrid zapper boxes will be powered by NDS’ MediaHighway® middleware, utilising Jungo Panorama™ remote management technology to reduce support costs and improve the subscriber experience.

By providing the NDS Unified Headend through a hosted model, NDS is enabling Canal Digital to focus on the end-user experience without concern over technical operations. With overall management of the headend infrastructure, NDS is able to optimize resources and expertise to enable a scalable infrastructure that will support the growth of the Canal Digital service, including the rapid deployment of new functionality and services.