J:COM Selects Ericsson’s MediaFirst TV Platform for Next-Gen TV Service

Ericsson has been chosen by Jupiter Telecommunications (J:COM), Japan’s large cable system operator, to power its next generation TV service. J:COM has selected Ericsson’s MediaFirst TV Platform, to enable an enhanced, personalized multiscreen TV experience to its 3.7 million subscribers. The basic design phase will commence in Q4 2017 and the companies will solidify the development agreement subsequent to this.
The new TV service will provide J:COM subscribers with new features including a personalized TV experience on all screens and the ability to watch live TV and access content on demand on any device. Ericsson will also deploy the industry standard RDK in J:COM’s set top boxes and a conditional access system to enable the delivery of Ultra HD content. Additionally, it will deliver new monetization opportunities such as more effective content recommendation services, by leveraging Ericsson’s advanced data analytics.

“Consumers have more choice than ever before and it is therefore imperative that we stand out from the crowd to remain competitive in an ever-cluttered TV landscape,” says Hirohiko Imura, President, J:COM. “We believe that a seamless and personalized TV Everywhere service will enable J:COM to create that distinction. By deploying Ericsson MediaFirst TV Platform, we will have access to a range of uniquely intelligent, high performance solutions that will help us to transform our television offering and strengthen our position at the forefront of TV innovation.”

“Ericsson’s award-winning MediaFirst TV Platform will enable J:COM to power a next generation TV experience that is available seamlessly across all screens both inside and out of the home, and tailored to meet the needs of each individual subscriber,” says Angel Ruiz, Head of Media Solutions, Ericsson. “By leveraging the benefits of virtualization and cloud technologies, we can help J:COM to increase its subscriber base and benefit from new and more flexible business models. This is the first step in a long-term partnership and we look forward to growing our partnership with J:COM over the years to come.”

Ericsson MediaFirst TV Platform is a software-defined, media-optimized cloud-based TV platform. MediaFirst TV Platform provides a converged multiscreen experience including Pay TV in-home, TV Everywhere and OTT services. It embraces all content sources and delivery networks and is integrated onto the RDK, enabling operators to benefit from the common underlying software of the RDK while retaining the ability to differentiate their customer facing TV experience.The platform provides advanced analytics tools which enable operators to target relevant content and promotions to viewers, increasing revenue opportunities and reducing churn. Underpinned by Ericsson’s DevOps approach, MediaFirst TV Platform offers flexibility, scalability and agility to adapt to consumers’ constantly evolving behaviors and needs.