TDS will move to the TiVo platform for its next generation TV platform, bringing it to both its cable and IPTV operations across the country. The new TiVo platform will be featured with both existing and new video subscribers, the companies report.
In addition to TiVo’s signature search and recommendation platform, their next generation TV platform provides voice control, OTT and linear programming integration, as well as VOD and cloud DVR. The platform can also work on multiple devices, with TiVo claiming “device-agnostic” capabilities.
Platforms including Android STBs, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV are supported. Roku appears not to be though. TDS will be able to support mobile platforms including iOS and Android as well.
“TiVo’s Next-Gen Platform helps TDS deliver the very best in entertainment to our customers,” said Julie Maiers, vice president, Marketing & Product Development, TDS Telecom in a statement. “TDS is committed to the advancement of innovation, and TiVo’s industry-leading solutions bring us the rapid feature velocity and agility to stay ahead of the competition in an ever-changing media landscape.”
TiVo says their next generation platform gives video providers flexibility to move to IPTV delivery, supporting both traditional QAM and IPTV, with a migration path to all-IPTV baked in. That could make sense for TDS, considering they have considerable cable operations, in addition to their IPTV deployments, which are typically featured in their FTTP markets.
TDS is also using Nokia for their end-to-end content delivery solutions, including Nokia’s Velocix Media Delivery Platform and Origin Server. TDS has been using the Ericsson Mediaroom platform for their IPTV services.
“The combination of Nokia’s Velocix content delivery software and TiVo’s User Experience is an ideal choice for anyone interested in a pre-integrated, best-of-breed IP video solution that can power cloud DVR, linear, and video on demand services on every consumer screen,” said Scott Cohen, Vice President of Sales for Nokia in a prepared statement.
TDS Video Confidence
Amid uncertainty in the video landscape, with some TV providers scaling back or looking for OTT alternatives, TDS appears quite committed to traditional video. Late last year, TDS CEO Leroy T. Carlson Jr., told an investor conference he remained enthusiastic about video. He reported then that almost all customers who purchase broadband from TDS (94%) purchase triple play services, which cost them an average of $156 monthly.
Carlson also noted that “video provides a meaningful margin” for TDS. In their IPTV markets, TDS is seeing a 30% penetration for video on average, with IPTV sales growing at about 8.5% annually, he reported.
At the end of 1Q18, TDS reported approximately 151K video subscribers, with about 100K coming from their cable properties.
