tve@3108_news 01/09/2015 10:20 Page 5
Turner boosts live OTT with
iStreamPlanet acquisition
urner Broadcasting
System has acquired
a majority stake in
iStreamPlanet, a specialist
in large-scale, live event
streaming, TV Everywhere
Network simulcasts and
OTT multiplatform
solutions.
Turner says it will leverage
iStreamPlanet’s technology to
deliver its OTT programming,
shift its core technology
T
iStreamPlanet’s commercial
offering. Turner says this
transaction is an important piece
of its ongoing technology
transformation with the
potential to advance
technological capabilities across
all of Time Warner.
Turner chairman and CEO
John Martin (right) noted that
the broadcaster had worked with
iStreamPlanet in the past during
the PGA Championship, and that
allow it to cultivate future
business opportunities on digital
platforms.
“We couldn’t ask for a better partner
to accelerate our growth”
infrastructure to the cloud and
develop new products and
services for existing and new
businesses.
Turner’s diverse technology
requirements, ranging from live
news, simulcast networks, video
on demand and multiplatform
specific content will also enhance
they had delivered world-class
events such as the Super Bowl
and Olympics to millions of
viewers, and said the partnership
expand its capabilities to offer
live events within and outside of
the traditional ecosystem and, by
bringing iStreamPlanet’s
innovative technology in-house,
“Turner is a media
powerhouse with tremendous
reach via their entertainment
and live sports programming,
and strong relationships with
advertisers,” said Mio Babic,
CEO and founder of
iStreamPlanet. “They have been
a recognised innovator in the
media industry, breaking ground
first in cable and then in TV
Everywhere. We couldn’t ask for
a better partner to accelerate our
growth and expand our portfolio
of multiplatform OTT solutions
to meet the changing needs of
content owners and consumers.”
Aside from Turner,
iStreamPlanet works with a
roster of high-profile media and
technology companies. Under
the terms of the
deal,
iStreamPlanet will
remain a
standalone entity and continue
to conduct business and broker
independent deals with existing
and new third-party clients while
working closely with Turner to
explore new business
opportunities.
Deal terms were not
disclosed.
Next-gen Slingbox enhances mobile viewing
Sling Media, a wholly owned
subsidiary of EchoStar Corp,
has unveiled the Slingbox
M2 — a new entertainment
experience designed to
meet the ongoing shift in
consumers’ television
viewing habits. With the
Slingbox M2 bundle, Sling
Media says that today’s
ultra-connected generation
will have uncompromised
access to their live and
recorded home TV content
from anywhere on their
personal computers, tablets
and smartphones without
the previous cost-by-device
barrier.
The Slingbox M2
accommodates the growing
household trend to own five
connected devices by
empowering consumers with
the ability to download the
6 TV Everywhere
Slingplayer app to view their
home TV content on an
unlimited number of devices
at no additional cost. By
connecting to a cable or
satellite box, the Slingbox M2
turns consumers’ preferred
mobile devices into a
convenient entertainment
faster rate than ever before.
The new Slingbox M2
experience enables people to
enjoy the live and recorded
TV content they care most
about, whether that’s seeing
who makes the game-winning
play or catching a cliffhanger
season finale. Now anyone
companion—
perfect for on-the-go use
while travelling domestically
or abroad, or to catch up on
content between daily
errands.
“Consumer media
consumption is evolving at a
can
stay
connected to their local news,
events and sports, even if
they’re miles away from their
home,” says Michael Hawkey,
senior vice president and
general manager of Sling
Media. “Our customers have
been asking us to eliminate
the cost of downloading the
app for every mobile device
that they own. The Slingbox
M2 bundle addresses this
request by providing a nocompromise entertainment
experience across a variety of
touch points, allowing users
to view what they’re paying
for at home from anywhere in
the world—and on their own
terms.”
In addition to enhancing
the value of consumers’
existing cable or satellite
subscriptions, Slingbox M2
users who have Apple TV,
Chromecast, Fire TV or Roku
can use these services to shift
content from their mobile
devices to a second TV
anywhere in the world that
has an Internet connection.