Ericsson, Google partner on pay TV

Ericsson and Google are partnering to extend the reach of the Ericsson cloud-based MediaFirst TV Platform into the Android TV ecosystem, Google’s operating system for the set-top-box.

Ericsson MediaFirst is a software-defined, media-optimized end-to-end portfolio suite for the creation, preparation, management and delivery of next generation pay-TV to any screen with an immersive TV viewing experience.

The integration of Ericsson MediaFirst TV Platform with Android TV will provide an additional pathway to extend MediaFirst cloud-based TV services, including 4K-UHD live TV channels, video-on-demand, catch-up TV and cloud DVR to an even wider subscriber base.

According to Ericsson, the partnership with Google will give operators the opportunity to benefit from Android TV’s growing presence on connected TV operating systems, without the need for additional hardware costs.

Operators will be able to partner with manufacturers of Android TV devices to deliver new hardware-based functionality as well as niche over-the-top programming, or deploy additional applications within the Android operating system.

Additionally, the collaboration will enable Ericsson to deliver multiple, flexible, pre-integrated set-top box solutions that support hybrid configurations for satellite, cable, terrestrial, and fixed and mobile broadband TV.

“By expanding our range of set-top box options, we are giving Ericsson MediaFirst TV customers the opportunity to deliver cutting-edge, large scale video services and respond to the surge in adoption of smart devices, broadband connectivity and cloud-based delivery,” said Shiva Patibanda, head of business line TV platforms at Ericsson.