Arqiva and MediaKind have revealed the next stage of their partnership with the launch of Arqplex, a new hybrid content processing service that is set to transform headend services for broadcast and OTT networks.
The fully managed headend-as-a-service has been designed and developed for a broad range of broadcasters and network or platform operators, including global, regional, and national broadcasters and regional cable and satellite network operators.
The Arqplex service provides secure and reliable content aggregation, encoding, multiplexing and packaging for content distribution, said the two companies, and will unify OTT and broadcast operations, reducing complexity, increasing efficiency and delivering rapid speed to market for customers.
The service utilises Arqiva’s global content network to collect content from any source, whether satellite, fibre, cloud, or the internet. It also includes options to manage ad insertion and catch-up functionality for customers.
Arqplex is built on a cloud-based subscription model, removing the need for large capex investment in the latest technology advances, the companies added.
Media service providers can use AWS public cloud, an alternative cloud provider or Arqiva’s datacentres. Where customers opt for cloud processing, operations can be sited in the region most appropriate for their services. The Arqplex service also integrates seamlessly with other products across the Arqiva portfolio.
The existing Arqplex roadmap will be extended further, with Arqiva and MediaKind integrating a range of partners to expand the service’s capabilities. Arqiva has already begun the process of migrating existing headend customers to the new headend-as-a-service offering.
Shuja Khan, chief executive officer, Arqiva, said: “We have an exceptional heritage in aggregating and processing content for broadcasters. Arqplex is the next chapter in this journey. With viewers fragmenting across platforms making things more complex and costly, our solution radically simplifies the headend operations of broadcasters and OTT operators. Using cloud technology and partnering once more with MediaKind, our market-leading managed service solution will be a game changer for broadcasters and platform operators across the globe.”
Allen Broome, CEO, MediaKind, added: “We are delighted to announce our first offer from our partnership with Arqiva and introduce a new hybrid content processing service that will streamline content delivery. Underpinned by peerless infrastructure, cloud and processing development and service knowledge, Arqplex combines MediaKind’s market-leading media processing technology with Arqiva’s service management expertise for complete assurance. Increasingly our customers require the tools to be agile and ultra-responsive to the media and entertainment market’s continuous evolution. Arqplex is hybrid to the core, secure and ensures a cost-effective means of content delivery, allowing both operators and broadcasters to focus on creating new, exciting, and differentiated content.”
