OTT software solutions provider Vewd and TV manufacturer Vestel have announced the launch of Vewd Operator TV, which is a “fully-featured smart TV with a built-in, content-enriched pay-TV experience” that they say will enable pay-TV operators to “win the retail smart TV landscape”.
The announcement stated that instead of operators having to up-sell pay-TV services through a separate set-top box, or competing alongside other smart TV apps, “they can now own the entire smart TV consumer experience – from home screen to app discoverability – from the moment a consumer purchases the TV”.
“Vestel is pleased to add our expertise in building high-quality, full-featured smart TVs to empower Vewd’s Operator TV solution,” said Barış Altınkaya, Vestel’s vice president of marketing and product management. “By working directly with Vewd and the operator, we can leverage our vast manufacturing and retail distribution experience to contribute in reducing time-to-market, enabling substantial operator capex savings while delivering an experience that delights subscribers, reduces churn and improves subscriber satisfaction.”
Vestel produces TVs for more than a hundred manufacturer brands, including JVC, Hitachi, Telefunken, and Toshiba. Vewd’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) business model aligns Operator TV with pay-TV subscription models and revenue, distributing costs, development time and risk.
“Operators have tried different strategies to embrace smart TV, but together with Vestel, we’ve made the first solution that seamlessly connects pay-TV and smart TV,” added Aneesh Rajaram, CEO of Vewd. “Consumers are streaming more and connecting fewer devices to the TV. As a result, operators are forced to fight for visibility among smart TV apps. Vewd Operator TV ensures operators of any size can seize control from the start and win the home’s most important screen.”
