Sparklight says it plans to launch an IP-based TV service, dubbed Sparklight TV, early this year. The service provider says the new service will offer cloud-based video programming to residential and business customers across its footprint by the end of the year.
Sparklight TV will be delivered via an app designed to run on such streaming devices as Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Apple TV. The service will leverage the MOBITV CONNECT platform to support video on demand, program restart, and DVR capabilities, among others (see "NCTC Taps MobiTV for App-Based Pay TV Delivery"; Sparklight, formerly Cable One, is an NCTC member).
The move to IPTV is an important part of its efforts to enable 10G capabilities, Sparklight sources said. “Our transition to IP-based TV service will enable us to reclaim spectrum in our network needed to continue to expand the capabilities and speeds of our core high speed data product and provide the communities we serve with the fastest and most reliable internet service,” said Ken Johnson, senior vice president of technology services. “This is even more critical now, with the tremendous increase in customers working and learning from home.
“We continue to make significant investments in deploying fiber deeper and closer to our customers to not only enhance reliability, speed and performance, but lay the groundwork for the increased speeds of the future,” Johnson continued. “The digital needs of our residential and business customers are advancing rapidly, and we are actively working to not only meet but exceed those needs by creating a fast and reliable network that will support next generation technology.”