Liberty Global, the pan-European MSO, is finally ready to launch Horizon next month in the Netherlands, possibly at IBC 2012.
This would be exactly a year after first unveiling the platform at last year’s IBC, when a date early in 2012 was mooted for delivery. But, like other hybrid and connected TV projects such as YouView in the UK, Horizon has suffered from delays caused by uncertainties over specifications and a desire to be sure the platform will be capable of scaling and embracing emerging OTT streaming and content security technologies.
According to Mike Fries, Liberty Global’s president and CEO, that point has now been reached and the box will be launched in the Netherlands next month, followed by Switzerland in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Meanwhile, even without Horizon, Liberty Global has been gaining ground in Europe, adding over 800,000 revenue generating units (RGUs) in the first six months of 2012, driven largely by demand for triple-play bundles. Revenue was particularly strong in Germany, up 11 percent in the year’s second quarter, as well as Poland and the Czech Republic.
