Motive Television’s Anytime Anywhere platform provides the capability for viewers to watch what they want, when they want, where they want, and how they want on any device. Below are descriptions of specific services that Motive’s platform enables.
The Television Anywhere platform enables the following services:
- Multi-Room and In-Home Viewing: Viewers may access any live or recorded content which has been received or stored on any internet-connected Set Top Box (STB) or other receiving/storage device on any other screen in the home. Television Anywhere effectively creates a “Home Cloud” over the local Wi-Fi network which distributes live or pre-recorded content over a large variety of viewing devices that would normally only be available on their main television. What is more, different viewers can be watching different channels or programmes because the Motive Television Anywhere technology is integrated into the STB. For homes with multiple personal video recorders (PVR), viewers are able to watch content which was recorded on any one of them in any location in the home on any screen that can connect to the local Wi-Fi network.
- Remote Out-of-Home Viewing (Place-Shifting): This service enables the viewer to watch any live or pre-recorded content in his home whilst away from home on any remote device that can connect to the internet, such as iPhones, iPads, smart-phones, computers, tablets, etc. Such remote viewing does not require any app or special software on the remote device and it allows viewers to watch his home TV from any location and from any device they desire. This service creates a form of Mobile TV where the consumer has complete access to any video content available in the home, even personal recordings. Availability of content for remote viewing is controlled by the platform provider based on content rights, location, time windows, or other criteria.
- Side-Loading: viewers may quickly transfer any pre-recorded content on a STB to a portable device for later viewing, thus creating a “virtual DVD” on the portable device. This can be done before leaving home over WiFi, 3G/4G, or a broadband internet connection. An example of this feature would be “side-loading” a movie to view on an aeroplane or “side-loading” content to watch when there may be poor access to the Internet such as on the train to the office.
- Video To Go: this service enables a platform operator to distribute content from a Television Anytime-enabled STB or similar device to any other internet-connected portable device such as tablets and smart-phones, including iPad and iPhone. The content, which is formatted and configured off-line, can be streamed or downloaded to the mobile device.
- Extreme Remote Control: Using Television Anywhere, consumers can use their smartphone or iPad/tablet to remotely control their home PVR, view the Electronic Programme Guide (EPG), schedule and delete recordings, just as if they were in front of their own television. This service also supports previews, promotions and ad insertion.
- Up-Loading (under development): viewers will be able to send a video that they recorded on a mobile phone or other remote internet-connected device to their home STB for viewing in the home.
The Television Anytime platform enables the following services:
- Catch‐Up TV: The viewer can specify the programmes which are to be automatically recorded and stored in the STB for later (time-shifted) viewing. The Television Anytime module defines the “lifetime” for each and every programme which has been recorded from the broadcast channels, thus offering Catch‐Up TV without the need of additional head-end equipment. The Television Anytime module can be configured to get permission from the viewer to record specific programmes and to allow the viewer to program the STB to record an entire series or specific content selection (for instance, all movies of a certain director).
- “Plus One” Channel: A “Plus One” channel is an additional television channel which is created by delaying all programmes in a given channel by one hour and listing it as an additional channel offering. For viewers, this means that they can watch the programmes they might otherwise have missed. Plus One channels are popular—there are over 100 of them broadcast today in Europe. The traditional way of adding a Plus One Channel is by broadcasting it as a linear channel. Plus One channels appear in the EPG as any other linear TV channel. Using Television Anytime technology Plus One channel is created within the STB without actually transmitting it thereby saving expensive transmission bandwidth. Thus, the cost of offering a Plus One channel is substantially reduced for the broadcaster and additional advertising revenues from viewing the new channel can contribute directly to the bottom line.
- Pause/Play, Restart, and Rewind of live TV: viewers have the benefit of Pause/Play, Restart, and Rewind on each channel. This means that viewers can stop the playing of a programme and restart it from the same point. In addition, Plus One channel viewers who miss the start of a programme are able to watch it from the beginning.
- Pause, Restart, Rewind, and Fast Forward of recorded content: viewers can Pause, Rewind, Restart, and Fast Forward any recorded programme just as on a PVR.
- Virtual thematic channels: The Television Anytime module allows a broadcaster to re-purpose programs that were previously broadcast by auto-recording them and tagging them by genre or other characteristics. The Television Anytime technology then allows the broadcaster to create additional channels from the tagged recorded content without the need for additional broadcasting bandwidth. The virtual channels are played from the hard-disk instead of coming from a broadcast feed and appear as a linear channel in the EPG. This allows the broadcaster to create thematic channels - expanding advertisement inventory and increasing content relevance. For example, a broadcaster might choose to create a virtual food channel by auto-recording archived cooking shows and food-oriented documentaries, arranging them to appear as a food channel, and sell advertising or sponsorship against it. Similarly, an operator could run a sports channel or offer a 24-hour news channel.
- Archival of additional SD, HD, and 3D programmes: Using Television Anytime, a broadcaster can datacast previous episodes of series, specials, and other programmes to the STB that would then be available to viewers in a local content archive and to which advertising “bumpers” and intervals can be associated. A broadcaster can deliver high-definition (HD and 3D) programmes to the STB over a standard-definition distribution network for viewing on a HD/3D enabled TV.
- SD, HD, and 3D Video‐On‐Demand (VOD): households have the opportunity to select single programmes on a pay‐per‐view basis, such as a movie (which average $2‐4 in most markets for first run), sports event, concert, etc. Additionally, popular series and micro-pay programmes have been offered in some markets. Experience in Europe and North America suggests that the average household that uses VOD, has a monthly usage of 2 to 6 purchases per month generating gross revenues in the range of $6.00 to $12.00 per month for the provider. A broadcaster can deliver high-definition (HD and 3D) On-Demand titles to the STB over a standard-definition distribution network for viewing on a HD/3D‐enabled TV.
- Subscription Video‐On‐Demand (SVOD): in a SVOD offering, the household is offered a collection or “box” of 20‐40 movies or other programmes for a single fixed monthly subscription. The viewer may watch any or all the programmes in the package whenever he or she chooses. In addition to movies, SVOD has been popular with classic TV shows, sports, and adult entertainment. SVOD is a very popular addition to linear subscription Pay TV and many Pay Television services are adding SVOD because subscribers like the ability to watch movies or other programs when they want. SVOD is perceived by viewers as a good value-for-money service. Operators can offer this service more easily than VOD as it does not require individual transaction processing.
- Mini‐Pay and Micro‐Pay Subscriptions: these Pay TV offers are similar to an iTunes approach, i.e. low‐cost offerings of a large selection of archival programmes, series, episodes, concerts, events, classic sports matches, etc. In addition, opportunities exist to sell mini‐subscriptions to a sport series, concert series, or major mini‐series.
- Sneak Preview TV: an operator may choose to offer fans of popular series the opportunity to see next week’s episode early for a small price, effectively creating a pay window for an otherwise FTA program.
Advertisement Platform Services
One of the most relevant features of the Television Anytime Anywhere™ platform is the ability for broadcasters and pay television providers to associate advertising to the content stored into the STB, through Television Anytime, or being distributed to remote devices, through Television Anywhere. These advertisement services enable operators to increase their advertising timeslot inventory and sell additional advertisements against any content viewers will watch through the platform. These services are available without invading the information privacy of the home.
The Television Anytime Anywhere™ Platform enables the following advertisement services:
The Television Anytime Anywhere™ Platform enables the following advertisement services:
- Banner Advertisement: This service allows for one or more banner adverts to be displayed on pre-specified screens on the STB, such as the EPG menu, the navigation menu, and the VOD catalogue. Each banner can be shown for a pre-defined amount of time. In the cases where multiple banners may be associated to the same screen, then they can be automatically rotated in sequence.
- Pre- and Post-Roll (bumpers): Advertisement spots selected by the advertiser can be automatically distributed to segmented groups of STBs or all STBs using VoD. The context of the advert can be associated with one or several pieces of content which exist on the STB. The content with which the adverts are associated to can be an auto-recording or a VoD event.
The association of the advert to the content on the STB can be pre-roll, where the advert is displayed before start of the main content; or post-roll, where the advert is displayed after the main content has ended.
In each of the cases where the adverts are being displayed (either in pre or post roll mode), the fast-forward functionality is disabled to prevent the viewer from skipping them. The functionality is then automatically re-enabled when the main content starts. - Logos in VoD menu: In the VoD catalogue (where the list of pre-recorded content & content categories are displayed), the logo of a sponsoring / advertising company can be associated. This logo can be placed alongside the “new” logo. These could be logos of brands such as BMW, Unilever, IBM etc, and they can be updated by the broadcaster at any time.
Conclusions
Motive's Television Anytime Anywhere™ platform benefits both viewers and broadcasters. It benefits the viewers by making more television services available at low or no cost and by offering advanced television services without the need of a cable, internet, or satellite hook-up. It also benefits broadcasters by providing on-demand, Pay TV, and subscription revenue, and by increasing the income coming from the existing library, providing access to OTT (over the top) services and internet content distribution, as well as adding viewing and advertising income.
Research indicates that people increasingly watch what they want when they want it where they want it from a number of different connected devices but, ultimately, watch more TV. TV and the relatively passive experience associated with it far outnumber any other entertainment, news, and information experience on any other device. Nevertheless, TVs and connected devices are not necessarily competitors for the viewer attention; instead they offer to viewers different experiences. Recently there has been a trend toward second screen viewing while watching programmes on the main TV.
This means that Motive’s Television Anytime Anywhere™ new technology-enabled services enhance the existing relationship between broadcasters and their audience.
Research indicates that people increasingly watch what they want when they want it where they want it from a number of different connected devices but, ultimately, watch more TV. TV and the relatively passive experience associated with it far outnumber any other entertainment, news, and information experience on any other device. Nevertheless, TVs and connected devices are not necessarily competitors for the viewer attention; instead they offer to viewers different experiences. Recently there has been a trend toward second screen viewing while watching programmes on the main TV.
This means that Motive’s Television Anytime Anywhere™ new technology-enabled services enhance the existing relationship between broadcasters and their audience.
