Accenture Helped NET Launch New Multiscreen Video Service Extending the Reach of VOD to Connected Devices

NET, Latin-America’s largest cable operator, selected Accenture (NYSE:ACN) to extend its NOW video service to multiple screens. The new NOW video-on-demand service will over time deliver its entire content library to a wide array of IP-enabled devices, integrating and extending the set-top box user experience (UX).

Leveraging the Accenture Video Solution (AVS), one of the industry’s most comprehensive, feature-rich video software platforms, NET announced its new VOD streaming service last month. NET selected Accenture to design and build a video architecture able to augment its existing service capabilities and add new features as determined by NET’s service roadmap and business requirements.

"Consumers are connected to the Internet all the time and demand increasingly personalized services wherever they are. We believe that this new video architecture, built with Accenture’s assistance, will enable the timely launch of new functions and services, giving us greater control of the product roadmap,” says Márcio Carvalho, marketing director at NET. “The competitive Brazilian market requires flexibility, cost effectiveness and speed in order to sustain our leadership on video distribution.”

Accenture supported NET providing its AVS foundation architecture and acting as the prime system integrator, deploying the solution in a complex framework where several products and legacy systems were integrated to create a new service delivery platform.

The project included multiple requirements:

• Build an IP ABR (Adaptive Bitrate Streaming) Video Head-End, able to transcode and package content in real time, upon user request, reducing the investment needed to prepare and store multiple formats;
• Extend the existing VOD service proposition beyond television, delivering the same user experience to computers, tablets and smartphones, enabling users to fully access, navigate and control their content from multiple devices, at home or from anywhere; and,
• Design the foundation of an open, cloud based video back-end, able to integrate all future devices and service capabilities in order to satisfy customer demand for flexible content consumption and new forms of content monetization.

Using AVS, NET was able to build an open video architecture rapidly and with limited investment, thanks to its cloud-enabled software, and the adoption of non-proprietary interfaces. This innovative approach makes it possible for NET to take control of its service roadmap, reducing its time to market, integration efforts and dependence on legacy platforms and other vendors.

“With the addition of the multi-screen capability, NET NOW keeps evolving as the most advanced next generation video service in Latin America and will play an important role in the growth of video services for the region,” said Adalberto Leidenfrost, Accenture managing director and project lead.

NET currently serves more than 8 million households in Brazil with a combination of fixed and mobile services.

Accenture's AVS is now enabling more than 10 million subscribers worldwide to access content anywhere, on any device.

About NET

NET is the largest telecommunications and entertainment Cable Company in Latin America and one of the 5 largest cable operators in the world. It leads the market of cable TV and broadband in Brazil and also leads the growth of fixed telephony market, being the company that gets more ported numbers. Its home page is www.net.com.br.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 293,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$28.6 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2013. Its home page is www.accenture.com.