Ericsson MediaFirst Delivers Next Generation TV Experiences

Ericsson confirmed the commercial availability of Ericsson MediaFirst, a next-generation Pay TV platform that transforms TV and video entertainment. Built using modern cloud-based architectures, Ericsson MediaFirst brings together the best of traditional Pay TV and over-the-top services, giving operators and content providers the ability to deliver constantly optimizing, highly personalized TV experiences on any device.

Ericsson MediaFirst adapts agile development principles and practices to fit the needs of a business-to-business-to-consumer TV platform, providing operators a continuous stream of new innovations. Much like web services, MediaFirst empowers operators to act on the platform’s built-in analytics in real time, leading to rapid innovation cycles, greater monetization opportunities and faster time to market for new features and targeted offerings.

Since its introduction at the 2014 International Broadcasting Convention, Ericsson MediaFirst has been in trials with targeted operators and is now ready for commercial release. TELUS, a leading Canadian telecommunications company with over 950,000 TV subscribers, has successfully completed an initial trial of Ericsson MediaFirst and plans to enhance its Optik TV services, leveraging the MediaFirst cloud-based solution.

Ibrahim Gedeon, Chief Technology Officer, TELUS says, “Ericsson MediaFirst places TELUS at the forefront of TV innovation, equipping us to deliver a truly seamless, personalized and engaging TV experience on any device, wherever and whenever. As our trial of Ericsson MediaFirst has progressed, TELUS has seen firsthand how the shift to the cloud and an agile development model can help increase speed and agility to power the most innovative TV offerings.”

Per Borgklint, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Unit Support Solutions at Ericsson says: “Ericsson is the leader in offering the TV and media industry a broad, end-to-end portfolio of transformative solutions. Ericsson MediaFirst brings the most innovative Pay TV services to operator and video service providers, equipping them with a flexible solution that keeps pace with rapidly changing consumer behavior. We look forward to working with TELUS as they evolve their offerings with the cutting edge features and functionality of Ericsson MediaFirst.”

Ericsson MediaFirst is a key part of the Ericsson media solutions portfolio, reflecting continued investments to enable operators to deliver award-winning TV services to viewers. Ericsson MediaFirst integrates industry-leading capabilities in Multiscreen IPTV, ABR delivery, content management and cloud DVR to provide consistent and compelling experiences across all devices, meeting the needs of a broad range of service providers.

Uniquely placed at the convergence of telecommunications, the Internet and media, Ericsson powers some of the world’s largest and most complex video platforms, delivers some of the most renowned and premium TV programming, and helps the world’s strongest content brands to deliver personalized, high-quality programming to consumers 24/7. Ericsson’s products, services and insights enable broadcasters, content creators and content owners across cable, satellite and telecoms to accelerate their transformation towards TV in the Networked Society.