TDS Broadband (NYSE:TDS) has signed an agreement to license Espial's (TSX:ESP) Elevate Cloud video platform, a partnership extended from Espial's acquisition of the ARRIS (NASDAQ:ARRS) whole-home solution product line.
Elevate is a multi-tenant television-as-a-service (TVaaS) platform designed to allow operators to manage, deliver and monetize video. It offers consumers voice-based navigation, discovery and viewing of traditional content and streaming services like Netflix and YouTube. It also provides operators with cloud tools for their operations, marketing, support, and engineering team - including analytics, promotions, segmentation, and diagnostics.
"Elevate allows us to enhance the experience of our video customers in our cable markets, while providing consistency and flexibility in how we deliver those experiences." said Julie Maiers, VP of marketing and product development at TDS Telecom. "Our customers utilizing the Elevate technology will continue to enjoy the advanced Connected-Home DVR, which links all TVs together in their homes and gives full DVR functionality and programming access to each set-top box, including wirelessly, if so desired."
"We are excited to have the opportunity to continue our relationship with TDS to support and enrich their customers' entertainment experience," said Matt James, Espial's vice president of North America sales. "The video industry is in the middle of a significant shift in which Pay TV operators face unprecedented competition. With Elevate, operators of any size can have affordable access to the latest features that customers love, across a variety of traditional and next-generation platforms."