NEW YORK — Accenture has acquired the software and skills of Nokia Siemens Networks Internet Protocol television business. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The newly-acquired IPTV assets will be integrated with the Accenture Video Solution – a software product and a suite of services that enables companies to launch new over-the-top TV and services while reducing the initial costs of IT and infrastructure set-up. The platform will “provide end users with a dynamic and interactive video experience with virtually any video content, in any format, across every network, on any device – from smart phones and tablets to personal computers and television sets,” Accenture said.
Additionally, the enhanced broadband video service “will give end users the ability to control their viewing experience, such as accessing content through a tablet, pausing whatever they may be watching and continuing to view that content at a later time – at home on a TV, a laptop computer, smart phone, or tablet,” the company said.
The Accenture Video Solution, which has been deployed to several large video providers, delivers platform for accessing linear video content through the broadcast network, as well as non-linear services, such as catch-up TV and video-on-demand through a broadband network. These services can be delivered to virtually any IP-enabled device: Connected TVs, set-top boxes, gaming consoles tablets, PCs and mobile phones.
In a statement announcing the acquisition, Marco Vernocchi, managing director of Accenture’s Media and Entertainment group, said, “Consumers want to control the content they view, but they also want to manage where and when they view that content,” said Vernocchi. “They also want to be able to choose the device on which the content is delivered. Consumers also want the flexibility to watch a video while posting comments on social media sites or chatting with their friends about the content they are viewing. Access to content in a personalized way is here to stay, and we can expect to see even more features that allow users to make viewing a personal, mobile, dynamic video experience.”
