MediaKind strengthens collaboration with Tangerine Global

MediaKind – formerly Ericsson Media Solutions – is strengthening its collaboration with entertainment services provider Tangerine Global, by enhancing the latter’s CITRUS managed solution with new cloud-based capabilities.

Based on MediaKind’s MediaFirst software as a service (SaaS) platform, the end-to-end media solution enables small and mid-sized pay TV operators to provide immersive OTT offerings, with the potential to scale further in the future, according to the companies. Tangerine Global is the system’s integrator, service provider and 24/7 monitoring and support centre.

The enhanced CITRUS solution offers a pathway for existing Mediaroom customers to enhance their on-premise IPTV deployments, by leaning on the user experience and OTT delivery capabilities of MediaFirst, a member of the Orion family of solutions that forms part of the wider MediaKind Universe portfolio that is debuting at this year’s IBC. Alternatively, according to the pair, by partly migrating deployed services to the CITRUS cloud, Mediaroom customers can reduce existing OPEX, including platform upgrade support and licensing costs.

The hosted, multi-tenant managed solution combines traditional pay TV service quality and content depth, alongside the personalisation, interactivity and multiscreen viewing capabilities of OTT TV, according to the companies. CITRUS provides pay TV operators with the benefits of cloud technologies and web services, including offering more effective content recommendation through MediaFirst’s data analytics.

Greg Pasetta, president and CEO, Tangerine Global, said: “Today’s consumers are demanding access to highly personalized, immersive offerings that inspire, offer ease of access and deliver the ultimate experience, both in and out of the home. We are excited to extend our long-running partnership with MediaKind and enhance the CITRUS solution with new end-to-end cloud-based capabilities. This highly scalable turn-key solution will offer our customers with new OTT content offerings that provide the best possible experience, at the best possible cost.”

Mark Russell, chief technology officer and head of strategy, MediaKind, said: “Today’s service providers face a challenge to deliver truly seamless, cost effective and personalized services that allow them to stand out from the crowd and thrive in a highly competitive TV landscape. Through Tangerine Global’s CITRUS cloud-based solution, we are enabling businesses of all sizes to have flexible, scalable means to increase monetisation potential and drive greater interactivity and multiscreen viewing capabilities for the first time. We are helping the media industry to respond to ever-changing consumer expectations and behaviors by evolving their offerings and providing the means to adapt to the next shift in the future of media.”

MediaKind is exhibiting at IBC on stand I.D61.