NAGRA enables launch of VSMPL digital cable in Southern India

NAGRA anyCAST and OpenTV solutions enable digital cable launch for Venkata Sai Media in India

CHESEAUX, Switzerland — NAGRA, a digital TV division of the Kudelski Group (SIX:KUD.S) and the world’s leading independent provider of content protection and multiscreen television solutions, announced today that it is enabling the launch of a new digital cable and high-speed broadband offering for Venkata Sai Media Private Limited (VSMPL), the largest cable TV service provider in the south of India.

NAGRA’s anyCAST content protection and OpenTV middleware technologies were selected by the operator in the context of the government-mandated transition to digital, to provide local cable operators in the state of Andhra Pradesh with access to a variety of digital TV services under the brand name “Media Vision” These will include 276 SD and 24 HD services with plans to introduce value added services like video-on-demand, home shopping and more. This latest launch also marks the first commercial deployment of OpenTV middleware on a cable system in India.

“We are excited to deliver these new digital services to local operators as part of the ongoing digitization efforts in India,” said VSMPL. “NAGRA was the vendor of choice in this effort providing pre-integrated conditional access and set-top box software solutions across multiple chipsets. This was a key factor in helping us deliver the services quickly and efficiently.”

“VSMPL has acted quickly to meet the digitization timeline set forth by the Indian government and is now able to reach more local operators with our pre-integrated, scalable and fast time-to-market solutions,” said Jean-Luc Jezouin, NAGRA’s SVP Sales for the Asia-Pacific region. “We are pleased to have been able to support them in this effort helping them deliver advanced functionalities and robust content protection to whole new cable market. We wish them much success with their new platform.”

VSMPL’s new service will enable a new generation of digital TV services for local cable operators. It boasts built-in features powered by OpenTV middleware such as PVR and targeted advertising and a user interface adapted to the region’s multi-lingual landscape. Robust content protection is provided by the NAGRA anyCAST Security Services Platform which supports a range of services from basic free-to-view to enhanced content like 4K Ultra HD.