Ericsson has announced an exclusive, multi-year feature film deal with 20th Century Fox Television Distribution for its subscription video on demand (VOD) service, Nuvu.
The output deal includes DreamWorks Animation-produced titles along with an extensive selection of global film franchises for territories across sub-Saharan Africa in multiple languages.
Titles include How to Train Your Dragon 2, Penguins of Madagascar, Home and Mr. Peabody & Sherman.
Thorsten Sauer, Head of Broadcast and Media Services, Ericsson, says: “This feature film content deal through 20th Century Fox Television Distribution is another major milestone for Ericsson as we look to expand our new SVOD service, Nuvu. Through this partnership, Nuvu subscribers will have access to some of Hollywood’s hottest films as part of their package, localised on a market-by-market basis. Working hand in hand with some of Africa’s leading mobile phone operators, we believe Nuvu can offer a truly unique content and technology solution that meets the demands of consumers across sub-Saharan Africa.”
Nuvu is a complete end-to-end subscription VOD service developed by Ericsson for mobile operators in emerging markets, which spans both the technology platform and the content licensing. It leverages the company’s extensive over-the-top capabilities based on Ericsson Managed Player and components of Ericsson MediaFirst TV Platform, Ericsson’s highly scalable modular technology platforms used by broadcasters and telcos to distribute video content efficiently to connected devices.
For a monthly fee, subscribers have unlimited access to an initial 3,000 local and international premium titles across a wide variety of genres including Hollywood and Nollywood movies, TV series, kids, music, gospel and education.
The built-in ability to distribute content to consumers during off-peak periods is a core feature of the service.
This minimises data costs for both operator and consumer, addressing the key cost challenge that has so far been an obstacle for VOD uptake in Africa. The platform also integrates fully into the operator’s customer relationship management and payment systems.
Ericsson is one of the leading global providers of broadcast and media services, and has worked with some of the world’s most well-known broadcasters, platforms and content producers, including BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, BT Sport, ITV, FOX, DreamWorks, Liberty Global, NPO, Canal+, NOS, Bonnier Group, Sky, HBO, TV5 Monde and France 24.