Visual Unity Expands TV Nova’s Live Streaming and Video On Demand Service

July 30 2012.  Prague, London, Dubai: TV Nova, the biggest commercial television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, is using technology supplied by leading broadcast and multiscreen systems integrator Visual Unity to power its live online streaming and Video on Demand service, VOYO.

Having worked closely with Visual Unity to launch and then transition VOYO to a subscription-only service earlier this year, TV Nova has once again relied on the company’s consultancy and technical support to launch two new channels – VOYO Cinema, a subscription-based movie channel and VOYO Inews, a free and continual online news channel that combines live streaming with video reports and advertising.

Visual Unity’s vuMedia™ integrated content management and delivery platform sits at the heart of the solution, enabling the efficient delivery and monetization of live content and access to TV Nova’s ever-expanding archive, which currently includes over 50,000 video assets. The end-to-end platform provides live simulcast streaming of multiple channels integrated with the station back-end and with AD TECH, the broadcaster’s advertising system.

Jakub Kabourek, Visual Unity’s CEO, says: “The technical solution behind VOYO had to provide a solid infrastructure that integrated fully with TV Nova’s existing technology and business systems. It also had to efficiently manage live and archived content in High Definition (720p), enable editing of live News feeds in real-time and deliver a high quality service and experience to subscribers. vuMedia™ addresses all these requirements and more in a very effective way.

The system incorporates anti-piracy protection (Playready) and uses traditional Silverlight technology to deliver encrypted video content and Flash technology for free video content. In addition, viewers can choose from three quality options to suit the speed of their online connection.”

Part of CME Group and one of the most successful and profitable commercial television stations in Europe, TV Nova broadcasts 24 hours a day to audiences in the Czech Republic. Secure and reliable content distribution is key to the success of the broadcaster’s VOYO online service and for this it relies heavily on Visual Unity’s own Content Distribution Network, offering 100GBps throughput and 400 TB storage for tens-of-thousands of concurrent regional users.

Pavel Krbec, Internet and Other Interactive Services Director at TV Nova, says: “With vuMedia, Visual Unity has delivered a robust and efficient multiscreen solution that has enabled us to easily expand our services and we are delighted with the results. Our viewers enjoy a quality experience through a simple, elegant and intuitive player and by employing Visual Unity’s Content Delivery Network we are able to provide a highly reliable service. Thanks to our long standing relationship with Visual Unity we knew they would be the right systems integration and technology partner for this project and we really appreciate the on-going assistance and technical support they provide us with.”

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Contacts:
Kristyna Sonkova, Marketing Manager, Visual Unity
T: +420 271 742111  |   M: +420 724 822 399   |   E: kristyna.sonkova@visualunity.com
Sue Sillitoe, White Noise PR
T: +44 (0) 1666 500142  |     M: +44 (0) 7798 621891  |   E: sue@whitenoisepr.co.uk

About Visual Unity
Visual Unity is an international Systems Integrator bridging the gap between linear broadcast, IT and IPTV  to help clients reach and engage audiences  on any screen. Since 1991, the team has been designing and delivering turnkey broadcast and complex multiscreen solutions worldwide  – from HD Outside Broadcast vehicles and major playout facilities to live internet streaming and Video on Demand services.

Visual Unity’s award-winning vuMediaTM platform helps broadcasters and content owners control how their brand and assets are managed and monetized in the multiscreen environment.  Highly scalable and flexible, vuMediaTM  delivers a cutting-edge live  viewing experience on the web or any connected device, comprehensive VoD services, social network integration and secure robust content distribution  – all of which can be deployed into existing workflows and business processes..

Visual Unity is based in Prague, London, Cologne, Moscow, Bratislava, Belgrade, Nairobi and Dubai. For further information, please visit www.visualunity.com

Visual Unity: Na Hrebenech II 1718/8, Prague 4, 147 00, Czech Republic
T: +420 271 742 111    F: +420 271 742 112    E: info@visualunity.com