Q&A: Gernot Jaeger, Zattoo

Gernot Jaeger, Chief Officer of B2B at Zattoo, talks about the latest expansion of Zattoo’s end-to-end white label IPTV platform, which is now available as an Android TV solution for operators.

What are the main reasons for the overall growth in interest in Android TV?
We can clearly see that more and more operators are turning towards Android TV Operator Tier as an alternative to Linux based set-top boxes. Existing and announced large-scale deployments of TV services are deploying on Android TV supported set-top boxes. They also set the course for medium-sized operators to follow.

We are proud to be an innovation leader in the industry, and now also when it comes to Android TV for Operators.

To meet the needs of this segment, we are now expanding our hosted and managed TV-as-a-Service platform and include white label applications for Android TV Operator Tier set-top boxes in our service scope.

And last but not least, we are proud and delighted to announce that we will be launching Android TV for Operators for a European tier-1 network operator very soon.

What are the drivers pushing this development?
We observe huge challenges that many network operators are facing when launching their next generation IPTV/OTT services. There is a clear trend towards more devices, an ever increasing complexity, stricter security requirements and growing user expectations. For example, users want to be able to cast content from their smartphones to the TV, or from the TV to another device.

However, these challenges also present an opportunity for those who are successful in standing out in the market with great TV and entertainment services. Android TV, for example, enables that, and we provide the core foundations for it.

What do you see as the key advantages of the Android TV Operator Tier for operators?
We provide the entire service to the network operator and in the case of Operator Tier set-top boxes, it comes with a white label application that is fully customisable. It includes a very rich feature set and the Android functionalities deeply integrated across the different devices. One big advantage for network operators is the short time to market and, of course, 4K Ultra HD is standard.

With Android TV Operator Tier, features and functionalities come to the big screen that users already know from their small screens. For example, users have access to the Google Play store and also have access to voice control via Google Assistant across their devices.

Zattoo is also showcasing other innovations and enhancements of its end-to-end TVaaS platform live at ANGA COM 2019. Examples include 4K/UHD and personalised TV / content discovery. Zattoo will be presenting its entire service scope with live demos throughout the ANGA COM show in Cologne (Hall 8, Stand R9).

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