Swedish pay-TV operator Boxer TV is going multiscreen with a plan to extend its DTT and on-demand service offering to mobile devices and the Web for a TV Everywhere play. It should launch in fall 2014 and will initially support iOS and Android (News - Alert)-based smartphones and tablets.

The move is timely: research firm Mediavision said that TV watching on alternate platforms is a growing pastime in the region, with more than six million people in the Nordics using some kind of Web TV service daily. In particular, more and more are subscribing to paid-for services, especially the Netflix over-the-top (OTT) offering—putting pressure on traditional operators.

"A large shift in the TV industry going on right now, with increased competition for viewers," said Ingrid Salomonsson, senior analyst at Mediavision. "Netflix's entry in 2012 means that local Nordic actors currently experience increased competition. Today the daily viewing on Netflix is just as large as the viewing on the national public service companies' online channels. For the local TV companies it becomes more and more important to profile itself and stand out among the crowd."

To make its TV Everywhere dreams happen, Boxer TV is planning to use Viaccess-Orca’s Connected Sentinel digital rights management (DRM) and Prime Sentinel smart card-based conditional access system (CAS), RiGHTv service delivery platform and COMPASS content discovery platform to deliver more than 60 channels of live TV as well as personalized subscription video on demand (SVOD) and catch-up TV content throughout Sweden and Denmark.

“Viaccess-Orca has been our trusted technology partner for many years,” said Roland Svensson, vice president of product at the operator’s parent, Teracom Boxer Group. “By providing us with a unified solution for multiscreen — encompassing content protection, interactivity and delivery, discovery, and personalization — Viaccess-Orca will allow us to provide a consistent television experience to more than 1 million subscribers in Sweden and Denmark, anytime, anywhere, and on any screen.”

Boxer TV will use the software to protect premium content through cross-platform security, ensure the smooth delivery of content to users and increase viewer engagement with content discovery, personalization and interactivity capabilities. Video content will be personalized based on subscribers’ individual tastes and preferences across all devices.

“VO is proud, through its TV Everywhere solution, to enable Boxer TV to fully embrace the dramatic changes in how people consume content and their need to be fully engaged in the TV experience,” said François Moreau de Saint Martin, CEO of Viaccess-Orca.