NDS Launches VideoGuard Pre-Paid Solution for Pay-TV Operators

LONDON, UK — IBC Hall 1, Stand A71 — NDS Group, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, today announced the availability of its conditional access (CA) add-on module, NDS VideoGuard Pre-Paid™. This offering will enable operators in both emerging and mature markets to provide customers with more payment options at minimal cost. Brand-ID Europe, a leading provider of pre-paid payment services, supplies the back-office payment component with its CHKVIEW solution together with a full range of scratch card and e-voucher options.

Based on market-leading VideoGuard® CA, NDS VideoGuard Pre-Paid allows pay-TV operators to reach new market segments with pay-as-you-go TV services. With this offering, subscribers can purchase and store credit for future viewing options or for immediate activation. Once they decide to purchase content, the set amount will be debited from their stored credit. VideoGuard Pre-Paid then sends the entitlement rights from the operator’s head-end directly to the individual’s smart card inside their set-top box (STB) and allows the viewer access to the chosen content.

“As consumers continue to enjoy the benefits of pre-paid options in the mobile market, pay-TV operators are seeing additional opportunities for such offerings in their space. By offering customers more payment option flexibility, operators can quickly reach a new type of customer and begin to immediately see an increase in revenue,” said Nigel Smith, Chief Marketing Officer of NDS. “With VideoGuard Pre-Paid, our customers can deliver more customised packages to a broader target audience while still taking advantage of VideoGuard’s market leading business and security features.”

By deploying this particular add-on module with the VideoGuard system, operators can offer flexible pre-paid options such as pay-per-view, pay-per-time, pay-per-channel, pay-per-bouquet or pay-per-subscription, depending on their package preference. The VideoGuard Pre-Paid solution requires minimal changes to the operator head-end infrastructure and is fully compatible with existing NDS products. Operators can also choose from a wide variety of payment options for their customers, including pre-entitled scratch cards and smart cards, e-vouchers activated via mobile text messaging, web portals, instant messaging or IVR lines.

“By implementing Brand-ID’s CHKVIEW together with VideoGuard Pre-Paid, operators can not only provide extra options to existing customers, but also reach potential new ones that are attracted to the pay-as-you-go model,” said Martin Horn, VP Sales and Marketing for Brand-ID Europe. “Together we will provide operators with a fast and easy-to-deploy offering that will address new market segments and expand on existing ones with the convenience of flexible pre-paid packages.”