Germany’s BBV signs up for white label TV service, plans October launch

German broadband service provider BBV is the first customer for a new white-label IPTV service created by local cable marketing organization DNMG in partnership with set-top box provider ABox42 and OTT white label service provider Zattoo.

Abox42 is supplying its M20-series smart set-top boxes to enable content to be delivered to the TV screen, while Zattoo is providing the platform for multiscreen distribution.

BBV is rolling out fibre-based networks in the Pfalz state in south-western Germany and Münsterland in North-Rhine Westphalia. Its TV service will provide about 60 SD channels and up to 40 HD services, with the TV package available for €20 a month on the main screen and €2 for access on additional screens. The channel line-up is subject to ongoing changes as the company is still engaged in negotiations with owners, and the service is expected to launch in October.

The white-label offering is aimed at DNMG’s membership of tier two and tier three operators, offering a mix of live TV, network DVR, video-on-demand and HbbTV-enabled interactive services.

“When most operators move into IPTV, there are normally a couple different stakeholders involved – providers for the middleware, the headend system, transcoding, DRM, playout to set top boxes. It ends up being a complex project with 12 months development time or more, and a lot of cost and frustration,” said Oliver Soellner, vice-president, business development and sales, ABox42.

“With our new white label IPTV solution, we take all that away. The customer can roll out a customized IPTV service within one quarter because it’s an already existing platform with the essential ingredients fully operated by ABox42 and Zattoo. There’s no hardware investment for the IPTV solution itself, no maintenance and no major development required from operator side. The only thing the customer needs to do is roll out the set top boxes and do the marketing for the service and the billing.”

Frank Bonnemeier, business director of BBV Deutschland said: “After searching the market for over a year, we were delighted at the launch of DNMG’s fully hosted and managed IPTV solution. ABox42’s set top box technology and Zattoo’s second screen technology combine to create a first and second screen solution which is not only hassle free in terms of set up, project management and in-live operation, but also leading edge, with a rich feature set, future-proof software architecture and a price-performance that allows us to pay as we grow.”