Sonic Solutions in Over-the-Top VOD Deal with Entone

Sonic Solutions, the digital media company that last year acquired the pioneering broadband VOD service, CinemaNow (it subsequently added "Roxio" to the service's name in order to make its branding consistent with its other products), and IPTV home-connectivity solutions provider, Entone, said Tuesday that they are partnering to offer telecommunications operators a comprehensive entertainment solution that will combine live broadcast TV and DVR capabilities with an over-the-top VOD service powered by Roxio CinemaNow (note: earlier this year, Entone announced a similar deal with Vudu--see the article published on itvt.com, May 5th). "Instead of competing with OTT services, telco operators can now supplement managed services by providing online video as part of their service without requiring consumers to invest in additional equipment," Mark Evensen, Entone's VP of product development, said in a prepared statement. "The integration of the Roxio CinemaNow technology platform will provide operators access to larger libraries of movies and videos, at the same time, providing consumers an enhanced viewing experience via a single user interface and remote control."

Entone's products are designed to enable access to rich media, including live TV and recorded content, throughout the home without requiring new wiring or a set-top at each TV set. According to Sonic Solutions, the new partnership will allow it to "leverage Entone's direct channel of more than 80 telco operators to expand [its] customer base and device ecosystem." The companies say that Roxio CinemaNow-powered premium services will be available to Entone's telco customers via an IPTV service model or via Entone's new SelecTV service, which is slated to launch later this year.