VOD, IPTV and advanced advertising technology provider, SeaChange International, announced Tuesday that Indian ISP YOU Telecom is using its software and servers to power a VOD service that is part of a new digital cable service called YOU SCOD18. Dubbed YOU Multiplex, the new VOD service is currently available to YOU SCOD18 subscribers in Mumbai, and is slated to launch in Bangalore and Vizag later this year. It will eventually reach over 2 million viewers, SeaChange says.
YOU Multiplex currently offers around 3,000 hours of programming, including domestic and international action, romance, drama, comedy and classic movie titles. According to SeaChange, the service leverages the SeaChange Scheduled TV content management platform. "We wanted our cable television venture to come out of the gate with services that easily matched or eclipsed the incumbent offering, and SeaChange afforded us the strategic ability to compete for consumers' on-demand desires," YOU Telecom CEO, E.V.S. Chakravarthy, said in a prepared statement. "Not only are we launching a unique service with YOU Multiplex, but the scalability of the SeaChange platform is allowing us to do so market-by-market in a controlled manner. YOU Multiplex introduces a high-quality experience for consumers and gives the stakeholders a secure and profitable venue for their content."
According to SeaChange its technologies have been deployed in India for more than 10 years now. The company--which says it is "dedicated to supporting the special requirements of the region's television industry and applying its unique resources towards developing digital tier opportunities in IPTV, on-demand and advertising"--has offices in Mumbai and Delhi. It plans to demo its VOD and advertising solutions in its booth (A-1b) at the upcoming ScaT India trade show (October 7th-9th in Mumbai).
