DNA Finland chooses Ericsson for metadata

NEW DELHI:Swedish telecom giant Ericsson said that it has signed a content discovery services contract with DNA, the largest pay-TV operator and one of the leading telecommunications operators in Finland.

Ericsson will provide editorial services and rich metadata for over 150 TV channels in Finnish, English and Swedish from DNA’s cable network, the Finnish digital-terrestrial network and over broadband.

The rich metadata will be used to power content discovery services on DNA’s TV open ecosystem 4K-enabled box, the DNA TV-hubi, which launched last month. The device combines a set-top box, Chromecast built-in and a Google Play Store ™. It comes equipped with two HD tuners, which enables simultaneous viewing and recording; it also includes voice recognition support.

Mikko Nurmi, Director, Cable Networks at DNA, says: “High quality, rich metadata from Ericsson offers us a great opportunity to promote all different types of content. It is also an enabler for a great user experience, bringing users into the pay-TV content funnel.”

Steve Nylund, Head of Broadcast and Media Services, Ericsson, says: “Content discovery continues to be a major challenge for viewers and a top priority for broadcasters, operators and content owners. The average person will spend 1.3 years of their life perusing the EPG to find something to watch and it’s our job to help our clients to address this challenge.”

The deal with DNA strengthens Ericsson’s content discovery footprint in the Nordic region. In Norway, Ericsson has provided content discovery services for Get’s TV platforms for over 10 years, including the sourcing and provision of rights information for linear TV to enable catch-up, startover and NPVR functionality. Ericsson also provides enriched metadata, program and cast images for Get’s VOD library and powers content discovery for its recently launched OTT service, which is available to around 500,000 subscribers.

Ericsson also delivers rich metadata to Denmark’s second biggest cable TV company, Stofa, which reaches approximately 400,000 homes.

Ericsson's team of 300 editorial specialists aggregate, create, normalize, maintain, and deliver rich metadata, maintaining more than 14,000 sources globally. Ericsson's global content discovery portfolio spans more than 10 million movies and program titles, covering over 25 languages, and includes an image database covering over 90 percent of all programming available across traditional TV, VOD and SVOD. Globally, more than 200 million people interact with Ericsson's rich metadata each week.