Accedo Broadband Launches Interactive TV Games on Colombian IPTV Platform

Accedo Broadband--a Stockholm-based provider of interactive TV applications and content for IPTV and broadband-connected consumer electronics devices (note: the company, which was founded by telecom and media entrepreneurs, Michael Lantz and Fredrik Andersson, offers a range of applications, but is best known for its games)--said last week that it has launched an interactive TV games service on Colombian telco UNE's IPTV platform.

UNE claims that its IPTV platform, which was launched in 2008, is the largest IPTV platform in South America, with over 70,000 subscribers throughout Columbia. Accedo's interactive TV games service was integrated into the UNE IPTV platform by Colombian systems integrator, Union Electrica. "We're very excited about launching a casual game service with UNE," Accedo CEO, Michael Lantz, said in a prepared statement. "We believe that the South American TV market will change rapidly in the coming five years with the introduction of IPTV and we're happy to joint forces with UNE to launch this IPTV game service."

In other IPTV news:

• Vodafone Portugal announced last week that it is now offering its Microsoft Mediaroom-powered IPTV service, Vodafone Casa TV (which launched in July), on the Microsoft Xbox 360. According to the company, the Xbox 360 version of the service provides customers with access to all Casa TV's live channels and VOD offerings, lets them access recorded shows stored on their set-top box and set recordings via their Xbox, and allows them to start watching a recorded show in one room, pause it, and finish watching in another room on another TV connected to their Xbox. In addition, Vodafone says, Casa TV for Xbox 360 is integrated with the Xbox Live service, allowing customers to, for example, have a live voice chat with one of their Xbox Live buddies while watching TV, or receive an invitation to play a game while watching, accept the invitation, and launch into the game. The service will be available to both new and existing Vodafone Casa TV customers, the company says, and customers will be able to choose between receiving an Xbox 360 as part of their subscription package or installing Casa TV software (priced at EUR9.90) on an existing Xbox 360. "We're pleased to be partnering with Vodafone to offer Microsoft Mediaroom for Xbox 360 to their Casa TV subscribers," Ted Malone, senior director of product management for Microsoft's TV, Video & Music business, said in a prepared statement. "Casa TV for Xbox 360 will allow consumers to use their Xbox 360 as both a fully functional Xbox 360 gaming console and a high-definition digital set-top box. In a highly competitive market, delivering a branded TV experience to the screens and devices consumers use the most gives our Mediaroom customers a real competitive advantage."
• Cork, Ireland-based digital TV technology provider, Digisoft, announced last week that Personal Media Technology (PMT) has selected its DigiHost IPTV Service Delivery Platform and Java-based middleware to enable the delivery of "next-generation personalized IP video services" for the Russian market (note: Digisoft also recently announced an IPTV deal with China's Wotone Group--see the article published on itvt.com, December 3rd). In addition, Digisoft has been appointed program manager for PMT's new IPTV platform, in which role it says it will work with a range of vendors. PMT, which is a division of Sigmalink Investments, was founded in 2007 in order to develop an IPTV service called OViVO: the company claims that the service will provide customers in major urban areas of the Russian Federation with subscription-free access to thousands of hours of on-demand SD and HD movies and TV shows--with content being delivered over an "intelligent, customer-aware" IP network and stored on set-top boxes. The service is slated to offer interactive TV services, including a video recommendation engine that PMT says will generate customized playlists for each user, based on their viewing habits and demographic profiles. In addition, PMT promises, OViVO will allow advertisers to deliver personalized advertising to a targeted audience. "Russia's pay-TV market is rapidly expanding and offers massive revenue potential to operators who can deliver compelling content and services to subscribers," Digisoft executive chairman, Tom Higgins, said in a prepared statement. "The combination of personalized IP video delivery and targeted advertising positions PMT's OViVO platform as among the most advanced IPTV services to be deployed in the world today and provides it with the platform to capitalize on the growth potential."