How Accenture Video Solution is powering Mediaset Premium in Italy
Management consultancy Accenture has been making big investments in the future of TV. They are now providing technology solutions for major broadcasters to enter the digital age. Accenture Video Solution (AVS) was implemented to power Mediaset Premium. Mediaset is Italy's largest broadcast.
Most recently Accenture helped create a new product to broadcast the UEFA Champions League soccer matches to more than one million consumers. "Mediaset Premium’s Play service combines the power of the Accenture Video Solution (AVS) platform with the scalability of Amazon Web Services. The service is available on more than 300 different devices including smartphones, tablet PCs, set-top boxes, connected TVs, and game consoles," according to Accenture.
Found Remote interviewed Gino Galassi, managing director with Accenture’s Media and Entertainment group
Found Remote: How is Accenture involved in this Italian OTT platform?
Gino Galassi: Mediaset Premium’s Play service is powered by the Accenture Video Solution (AVS). AVS is an open, micro-modular software platform that manages, delivers and monetizes digital video services over any multicast or unicast network, and any IPTV or OTTV device, offering an easy-to-use, engaging user experience. Through AVS, Mediaset can manage, deliver and monetize digital video services to a multitude of devices. It ensures high quality video services, a consistent user experience, and device-to-device content synchronization. The platform was set up through the Accenture AWS Business Group, a dedicated collection of experts in cloud solutions architecture, marketing and business development at both Accenture and Amazon. They assisted Mediaset in leveraging the full elastic scalability and features available in an AWS cloud.
FR: What are the details of the platform?
GG: Mediaset Premium Play service is available for consumers in Italy on more than 300 different device models such as smartphones, tablet PCs, set-top boxes, connected TVs, and game consoles. The flexibility and scalability in AVS allows immediate infrastructure capacity for Mediaset to stream content regardless of the numbers users requesting the service. For example, more than one million consumers could access the UEFA Champions League football matches when they were streamed through the service. With immediate scalability, Mediset can capitalize on new subscriber growth when it happens.
A big data analytics engine is a key feature of the platform. Mediaset can pull real-time insights about viewer behaviors from the platform. They plan to use this information to create highly personalized services in return.
The quick launch of the service was a key achievement of this project. It took 3 months to launch Mediaset Premium Play thanks in part to the integrated products, architecture, and technologies Accenture brought to the project. This quick turnaround time ensured that Mediaset could fully participate in the rapid growth underway in the European video platform market.
FR: What is the OTT market like in Italy? Compared to rest of Europe?
GG: Italy’s OTTV (Over the Top Video) competitive landscape includes important OTTV services such as Mediaset Premium Play, Mediaset’s Infinity, Sky Online. According to market research, the Italian market represents 10% of the total size of the West European market in forecasted revenues for the next three years.
FR: Anything else?
GG: The AVS platform has enabled several Accenture clients across the world to achieve results in digital video. It is backed by a network of dedicated video centers, a global team of over 2.000 video professionals. AVS served last year more than 60 million digital video consumers on over 7,000 device models. It is licensed by some of the largest worldwide broadcasters, cable TV providers, and telecom service providers including KPN, NET, Star India, BT Sports, Telecom Italia, Cricket Australia, Mediaset Infinity, and Mediaset Premium Play.
You can access the Future of TV hub here. Sign up to receive The Drum's Future of TV newsletter.