Altice is set to launch its subscription video on-demand service Zive in its international markets.
The cable and telecom company is working with Cisco to provide the technology base for Zive, which is currently only available via SFR in France.
Altice recently completed the acquisition of US cable operator Suddenlink and is on the verge of acquiring Cablevision. It also has presence in Portugal, Belgium, Israel, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Dominican Republic.
Zive can be viewed from a variety of devices and offers over 5,000 HD shows, with plans to grow to 15,000 by the end of the year. Zive includes a catalogue of over 400 4K/ultra HD programmes across kids, movies, sports, and other genres.
The service was launched on SFR’s network in November via the group’s new 4K UHD gateway, La Box Fibre Zive, with multiscreen capabilities, eight tuners, and a 500GB hard drive.
“We committed to evolve our architecture to deliver the best possible customer experience for our subscribers. We were aligned closely with Cisco from the start on the approach to integrate video and mobile components, and 4K content, like no one else has,” said Max Blumberg, CTO, Altice Group.
Altice has deployed Cisco’s cBR-8 converged broadband router to deliver the service, while Cisco DCN technologies are helping it deliver storage, delivery and picture quality of 4K video.
Content partners for the French offering include Disney, Viacom, Sony Pictures Television, Lagardère and France Télévisions.
“Altice was focused on innovation, and never lost sight of its goals to meet demand for faster broadband at gigabit speeds,” said Yves Padrines, vice president of Cisco EMEAR.
“Our work together over the course of ten years has marked many firsts with video and broadband entertainment services, and we are proud to add the first 4K SVoD service to the list.”
