The Countdown to ANGA COM 2015 Begins

With ANGA COM a little less than a month away, the 2015 show is already on par to be bigger and better. Currently, more than 440 exhibitors from 35 countries have rented floor space at the show, which already exceeds last year’s numbers.

The 2015 congress will feature a total of 24 expert panels with more than 130 speakers and moderators and will cover key topics including TV everywhere, video-on-demand, multiscreen, cloud TV, all over IP, broadband upgrades, FTTH, DOCSIS 3.1, Ultra HD, DVB-T2, connected home, RDK, Wi-Fi, CCAP, net neutrality, media policy, digitalization and competition law.

In addition, a newly designed lounge area located in the central foyer will provide attendees with meeting areas, snacks, refreshments and free Wi-Fi.

ANGA COM will take place on the Cologne Fairgrounds from June 9-11. Will we see you at this year’s show? Let us know in the comments below.

INTX Infographic & Trivia: Test Your Cable Industry Knowledge to Win a Prize

As the future of the cable industry takes center stage during INTX this week, Mosaik Solutions offers attendees an opportunity to look at the industry’s past for clues into what the future may hold next.

In partnership with The Cable Center, Mosaik developed “A Cable Story” infographic. “A Cable Story” visualizes the industry’s top historic events, including mergers and buyouts, acquisitions, key leaders and influencers, technological innovations and legislation that molded the cable market to what it is today. Take a look here.

The infographic also gives INTX attendees a chance to play a fun trivia game and a win a prize. During the three days of the show, at 9AM, 11AM and 1PM, INTX attendees will be asked questions about the icons on the graphic via Twitter. To participate, follow Mosaik on Twitter and watch out for #acablestory and #INTX2015 hashtags.

The first user to provide the correct answer will win a $10 Starbucks e-gift card. Winners will be contacted via Twitter DM to receive further instructions on how to collect their prize.

Are you ready to play? For more information about the infographic, be sure to read the full release and leave us a comment with your feedback below!

Internet + Television + Expo = INTX

Since NCTA’s move from The Cable Show to INTX, many have been left wondering, what exactly will this year’s show encompass?

As the IoT has taken off recently, there have been more opportunities to integrate apps into the overall cable video experience. As a result, NCTA has shifted the focus of the show to encompass the growing digital landscape throughout the industry as opposed to just cable. This year’s event will bring the two even closer together to cover the latest happenings in OTT, wireless integration and overall operations.

Here are a few things to expect at this year’s show:

  • The show floor, now called INTX marketplace will feature about 300 exhibitors. The area has been “reimagined,” and will feature “boulevards, plazas and circles” at various “intersections.”
  • In addition to keynote discussions among top industry executives, the annual Spring Technical Forum will dive deeper into tech than it has in previous years. The lineup consists of 43 technical papers that will be presented at eight different sessions.
  • NCTA will also sponsor a 24-hour hackathon, INTXHAK, which will challenge developers to create apps from scratch using the latest APIs, tools, data and content from a huge list of today’s leading tech, media and entertainment companies.

Will you be attending this year’s show? Let us know in the comments below.

Balancing the Playing Field for Independent Operators

To remain competitive, tier 2 and 3 cable and telco operators know it’s important to provide next-gen IP video services like multiscreen. Unfortunately, they often don’t have the resources to implement or upgrade their networks to offer these services. This puts them at a disadvantage, giving tier 1 operators the upper hand.

To eliminate this challenge for independent operators, Edgeware announced last week that it has teamed up with CSI Digital to be the first to provide independent operators with a customizable and highly scalable hosted IP infrastructure. This enables them to roll out competitive live TV and VOD multiscreen services in a cost-effective way.

Read more about this partnership here.

CES 2015: ’Sling’-ing in the New Year with OTT

It’s that time of year again. No, we don’t mean those first few weeks of the year when most of us full-heartedly follow through with our New Year’s resolutions. Anyone involved with consumer technology in any shape or form knows exactly what we’re talking about. Yes, that’s right, it’s the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

CES is famous for the launch of the latest in devices from smartphones to tablets, but it’s OTT video that is making headlines this year.

While OTT has been trending for years, it’s not losing any popularity points any time soon. According to a recent OTT Market Forecast by Strategy Analytics, the OTT market will be worth $27 billion by 2019. With projections like that, it’s only natural for everyone from vendors to content providers to operators to continue jumping on the OTT wagon. A prime example is Dish, who yesterday launched Sling TV. Aimed at cord cutters and those who never used pay-TV in the first place, the new service is unique, offering access to channels like ESPN, Disney, the Food Network and CNN for just $20 a month.

What do you think the future holds for OTT? How do you think services like Sling TV will affect the industry in 2015 and beyond?