San Diego, CA, and Milan, Italy, January 22, 2019 – Verance Corporation today announced it has partnered with Fincons Group to accelerate and expand the development of Next Gen TV experiences in the U.S. and Europe. This partnership combines Fincons Group’s expertise deploying Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) applications with the Verance Aspect watermark technology, which enables Next Gen TV experiences to reach 100% of ATSC 3.0 and HbbTV connected TVs, regardless of distribution path (over-the-air, cable, satellite and over-the-top services).
Initial projects will focus on accelerating Next Gen TV readiness in both markets. Examples include the identification and development of leading consumer offerings, business modeling, proof of concept and market trial management, retailer education, and service lifecycle management and operations.
“We are pleased to partner with Fincons Group to provide programmers and manufacturers with additional tools and technologies that help them realize the benefits of Next Gen TV as quickly as possible” said Nil Shah, CEO of Verance. “Together we combine best in class learnings from HbbTV deployments with the ability to maximize the reach, scale and ROI of Next Gen TV in the U.S., Europe and beyond.”
“The convergence of broadcast and broadband enables novel strategies and new revenue streams within the traditional TV space,” said Francesco Moretti, Deputy CEO at Fincons. “We look forward to partnering with Verance to apply our HbbTV experience to the ATSC environment in the U.S. and include the Aspect watermark into our portfolio for the European market. We’re also excited to announce that we successfully shared our initial versions of Next Gen TV experiences at CES. These were based on direct collaboration with leading U.S. broadcasters and our participation in the ATSC 3.0 Interactive Environment Specialist Group.”
The Verance Aspect technology was selected by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) to be a part of the ATSC 3.0 Next Gen TV standard and is currently being adapted for use within the HbbTV ecosystem. By deploying Aspect, programmers gain cross-platform audience measurement data and new revenue opportunities such as audience targeting and addressable advertising; viewers gain more personalized and interactive experiences; device manufacturers gain a new opportunity to market and sell TVs; and advertisers gain linear measurement and attribution capabilities.
Without Aspect, the reach and scale of Next Gen TV experiences are projected to be significantly smaller. In 2020, only 20% of ATSC 3.0-enabled connected TVs in the U.S. are expected to be able to receive Next Gen TV experiences without Aspect. This is because the metatdata and triggers required for these experiences are not carried by cable operators due to their different transmission protocols. Aspect enables this information to be automatically recovered by the TV regardless of distribution path.
Fincons Group is a leading international IT business consulting and systems integration company focused on the research, development and deployment of HbbTV interactive content and advertising experiences. During the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Fincons partnered with the major Italian private broadcaster, Mediaset, to develop Mediaset Play. The new OTT service combines linear and over-the-top content on connected TVs and enables interactivity through the HbbTV standard. Viewers enjoyed real-time game highlights on their connected TVs, while also experiencing interactive ads that included the ability to navigate to a mini-site and even book a test drive at the local dealer.
Fincons Group has been involved in many other projects, including the design and implementation of three generations of OTT solutions for the European Sky Group: SkyGo, Sky Online and NowTV in Italy, Germany and Spain. In 2018, Fincons invested in the conversion of HbbTV solutions to the ATSC 3.0 Next Gen TV standard in the U.S.
“We see 2019 as a pivotal year for Next Gen TV market readiness as we look to full market deployment in 2020,” said Eric Anderson, SVP and Chief Partnership Officer at Verance. “For the industry to achieve rapid success, it will be vital for both programmers and TV makers to take an integrated business approach combining proven strategy, tech integration, end user service offerings and operations. That is what this partnership achieves.”
About Verance
Verance® Aspect™ is an audio and video watermarking technology that powers broadband features on broadcast television by enabling advanced, census-like audience measurement, personalization, interactivity and addressable advertising across all screens and distribution paths. Selected as a foundational component of the ATSC 3.0 Next Generation TV standard, Aspect is fully compatible with the ATSC 1.0 broadcasting environment and currently being deployed by FOX, NBC, PBS and other leading broadcasters. Aspect is currently being adapted for use within the HbbTV ecosystem.
Verance content measurement and enhancement technologies are at the forefront of innovation and set the industry standard for television, movies and music. Our solutions have been adopted by over 100 leading entertainment and technology companies and deployed in over 330 million consumer products worldwide. For more information, visit www.verance.com
About Fincons Group
Fincons is an award-winning professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations to a diverse range of industries. In the Media sector, Fincons has long term and successful relationships with Tier-1 clients, providing solutions and ICT services covering the entire Digital Supply Chain, from Rights Management, Programming and Scheduling, to Advertising Sales and Omnichannel Video Delivery. With 35 years of experience in IT Business Consulting and System Integration, Fincons Group has offices in Italy, Switzerland, UK and the US, 1400 employees and more than 132 million Euros revenue forecast. For more information, visit www.finconsgroup.com
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