Infosys to take over build of Liberty Global’s Horizon in €1.5bn deal

International broadband and media group Liberty Global has inked a new €1.5 billion five-year deal with India-based digital services provider Infosys that will effectively hand over build and operation of Liberty’s Horizon TV and broadband platform to the tech outfit.

Infosys is to take over build and operations of Liberty Global’s Horizon entertainment and connectivity platforms for five years initially. The operator will have the option to extend the deal for eight years for €2.3bn.

Liberty said the collaboration would allow it to realise run-rate savings in excess of €100 million per annum, inclusive of other savings and technology investments.

Liberty Global will also license these platforms to Infosys to provide digital services to other operators and new markets outside the Liberty Global family.

The Virgin Media O2 owner said it will continue to control product roadmaps and retain all intellectual property for the Horizon entertainment and connectivity platforms.

While Liberty Global will benefit from Infosys’ AI technologies and scale, the company will not be using their AI and Cloud services exclusively. The media giant will continue to own the tech roadmap and determine what AI or AI vendors it chooses to work with.

Mike Fries, CEO, Liberty Global, said, “Strengthening and expanding our collaboration with Infosys gives our best-in-class solutions new scale with the ability to reach many more markets and bring positive experiences to more customers. And while it produces substantial central cost savings over time, it also provides excellent opportunities for our talent to grow their specialist skills and nurture impactful careers with Infosys.”

Enrique Rodriguez, CTO, Liberty Global, said, “This expansion of our relationship is the right next step to further strengthen the performance of our digital-first entertainment and connectivity solutions, scale their reach and impact, even as we chart the next round of innovations that we will drive together.”

Anand Swaminathan, EVP – global head of communications, media & technology, Infosys, added, “Infosys’ collaboration with Liberty Global will deliver state-of-the-art, AI-powered entertainment solutions-as-a-service that will bring great flexibility to 10 million Liberty Global customers. We will also offer these platforms as a powerful choice to other telecom clients.”