RiksTV Selects Osmosys Push VOD Solution for the Nordic DTT Market

Thursday, September 11th, 2008

GENEVA, Switzerland — Osmosys S.A. (SWX:ADBN), a leader and innovator in the development of open standards Java based interactive TV solutions, today announced that its Push VOD solution has been selected by RiksTV, the Norwegian DTT operator, to power its on-demand programming. This innovative solution will offer RiksTV a significantly enhanced value to its network by efficiently being able to delivering more premium content to their subscriber.

RiksTV is a Norwegian DTT network operator owned by a consortium consisting of Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), the TV 2 Group and Telenor. Its service offering went live in September 2007, with three free-to-air TV channels and 18 pay-TV channels packaged in RiksPakken and RiksExtra, which provide a mix of local and international programming. Within a year of its services going live, RiksTV has attracted close to 250,000 customers. Video on-demand will further improve choice and flexibility for subscribers and RiksTV will also offer HD content in the near future.

Osmosys Push VOD offers a bandwidth independent means of distributing any form of digital content. The solution has the ability to work with any CA system, is middleware agnostic and is available for any broadcast platform, be it satellite, cable, terrestrial or IPTV. A wealth of content such as movies, trailers or any other TV programming can be made available to the viewer in the form of customised catalogues via different payment methods such as pay per view or subscription.

“We are continually looking to enhance the value of the services we provide to our customers,” said Espen Thorsby, CEO, RiksTV. “Osmosys’ Push VOD solution enables the easy management of content that is available to viewers and is flexible and cost-effective. Osmosys has already proved that this solution is reliable and scalable to large numbers. As we continue to grow and develop our services, we are pleased to be able to draw upon the expertise of Osmosys in order to achieve our goals.”

Osmosys has integrated its EGG™ enhanced graphics engine into its Push VOD solution. EGG is a revolutionary graphics library that allows video content creators and designers alike the freedom to provide interactive TV graphics, with fluid motion, 3D effects and a full suite of animation effects on platforms that were previously limited to a 2D world only.

As well as the client application, Osmosys Push VOD consists of the system server, which stores and plays video content, and is controlled by the Push VOD Manager solution. This is the heart of the system and is the control interface for the operator. From this web-based control system, users can manage programme descriptions, control bitrates, schedule events, control disk space usage, monitor file transfer status and monitor DVR status.

“Service providers are increasingly realising the true value of on-demand programming and the opportunities it can create, both by providing value added premium content to satisfy the growing demand of their customer base and to significantly generate new revenue and improve their margins,” said David McElhatten, Managing Director, Osmosys. “We have developed our Push VOD solution to be flexible, cost-effective and easy to deploy, without the need for integration with other head-end equipment. We are pleased to be driving the development of RiksTV’s future growth and success as it pro-actively enhances its services.”

Visitors to Osmosys’ stand at IBC (stand IP331) can discover more about how its Push VOD solution is easing the transition to on-demand programming, as well as view further middleware, applications, systems and services that facilitate the management of interactive services over all broadcast platforms.