Germany's Kabel BW Launches VOD Service Using SeaChange|eventIS Backoffice Software

SeaChange International said Tuesday that German cable operator, Kabel Baden-Wuerttemberg (BW), has rolled out a VOD service using backoffice software and systems integration from its subsidiary, SeaChange|eventIS (note: SeaChange acquired Eindhoven-based eventIS back in 2009; for more on the acquisition, see the article published on itvt.com, September 2nd, 2009). Dubbed "Videothek," the new VOD service is now live to 2.3 million Kabel BW subscribers in southwest Germany, and offers hundreds of films and TV series, SeaChange says. The service's line-up of Hollywood and local content--which includes titles from Dreamworks, Fox, MGM, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros. and other major studios, as well as from independents such as Constantin and Tele Muenchen Gruppe--is supplied by On Demand Deutschland, a joint venture between Tele Muenchen Gruppe and another SeaChange subsidiary, On Demand Group (see the article published on itvt.com, January 3rd).

In addition to providing Kabel BW with its Prodis-Traxis backoffice, SeaChange says, SeaChange|eventIS provided the operator with a range of systems-integration services, including system testing, launch support, and integration with set-tops, applications, middleware and network components from third-party vendors. "Our open VOD platform is continuing to drive on-demand deployments in Germany and across Europe, with Kabel BW joining some of the largest operators in the region by selecting Prodis-Traxis in conjunction with our integration capabilities and access to top content," Erwin van Dommelen, president of SeaChange Software, said in a prepared statement. "Videothek will benefit from a highly flexible software infrastructure that easily scales to increase content ingest, libraries, subscribers and client devices, as many of our customers continue doing." Added Kabel BW's head of product management, Stefan Beberweil: "The launch of our 'Kabel BW Videothek' demonstrates the innovational power of the established cable network standards and the top performance of our interactive platform."