ABI Research names Ericsson video middleware market leader

ABI Research attributes Ericsson market leadership to strategy of continued investment and innovation in Ericsson middleware platforms.

ABI Research has named Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) the leading global video middleware vendor in their recent competitive assessment covering Middleware, Conditional Access, and DRM. ABI Research recognizes Ericsson’s strong portfolio of IPTV solutions, its strategy of continued investment, its adaptive bitrate technologies and mobile network integration of video as key differentiators that keep Ericsson TV middleware at the leading edge of the technology curve.

Ericsson’s video middleware solutions Ericsson Mediaroom, Mediaroom Reach and MediaFirst are part of Ericsson’s broader end-to-end TV and media product portfolio that spans the entire media value chain. In the report, ABI Research envisions that as Ericsson TV middleware extends and is deeply integrated with the company’s end-to-end TV and media portfolio including encoding, cloud DVR and content delivery, Ericsson will further increase its value as a global middleware leader. ABI Research also points to strengthened customer integration capabilities as another development that will benefit the customers moving forward.

Sam Rosen, Vice President of ABI Research said: “Ericsson video middleware solutions are well architected, enabling TV service providers to offer their customers innovative viewing experiences while also optimizing for costs and operational efficiency. The strength of Ericsson’s TV middleware offerings along with potential for deep integration with Ericsson’s broader TV and media solutions portfolio makes Ericsson a leading-edge company in the TV and media industry.”

The ABI Research report also heralds Ericsson’s focus on developing video oriented systems which take advantage of the cloud, focusing in particular on Ericsson MediaFirst. Although the platform is still in the process of coming to market, ABI Research believes that Ericsson’s approach is very strong and headed in the right direction.

Elisabetta Romano, Head of TV and Media, Ericsson said: “TV is undergoing a major transformation. Ericsson’s unique combination of research-based insights, award winning product portfolio and global services equips us as the ultimate partner to help TV service providers navigate this period of widespread change. This ranking from ABI Research is a positive reflection of Ericsson’s strategy of continuous investment in TV and media to equip our customers with market leading solutions that deliver the highest quality viewing experiences.”

Ericsson Mediaroom, the most deployed IPTV platform globally, enables operators to deliver high quality and engaging live, video on demand and time-shifted television experiences. Ericsson Mediaroom Reach extends television experiences to all screens, and Ericsson MediaFirst, a next-generation cloud-based Pay TV platform delivers constantly optimizing, device agnostic and highly personalized TV experiences.

Uniquely placed at the convergence of telecommunications, the Internet and media, Ericsson powers some of the world’s largest and most complex video platforms, and helps the world’s strongest content brands to deliver personalized, high-quality programming to consumers 24/7. Ericsson’s products, services and insights enable broadcasters, content creators and content owners across cable, satellite and telecoms to accelerate their transformation towards TV in the Networked Society.