Mediaset in Italy has launched an over the top online video service it calls Premium Net TV. It offers access to programmes broadcast on Mediaset channels in the previous week as well as a range of other virtual channels and video-on-demand programming. The Premium Net TV service will be viewable on personal computers and any Gold Label compliant MHP digital terrestrial television decoder, through a broadband connection from any provider.
Pier Silvio Berlusconi, the son of the Italian prime minister and the deputy chairman of the Mediaset group he controls, said: “We have decided to offer television viewers a service that in terms of the technological content, ease of use, quality and new content is an unprecedented innovation”. He said Mediaset, as a leader in free-to-air television and digital terrestrial pay-TV, is the first operator in Italy to launch what it describes as “TV of the future.”
The service platform was created by Accenture in Rome and allows Mediaset to deliver video to additional platforms, including personal computers, mobile devices, gaming consoles and connected televisions.
“The ability to launch this new service represents a significant step forward for Mediaset to become a truly multimedia and multiplatform company while maintaining our content and technology leadership position in the current dynamic and competitive market,” said Franco Ricci, managing director at Mediaset’s RTI.
“The service we built for Mediaset enriches the traditional TV consumption experience and will bring a new level of engagement — typical of the online world — flexibility and greater consumer choice,” said Francesco Venturini, the global broadcast lead of the media and entertainment industry group at Accenture. “This solution will enable new ways for Mediaset to enhance customer relationships, strengthen customer loyalty — especially with younger generations — and will boost advertising-generated revenues and content usage, all critical objectives for broadcasters as the role of the television continues to evolve from home television to personal television.”
The Mediaset service reflects increasing competition with Sky Italia, which recently announced a deal with broadband provider Fastweb, allowing both services to be bundled on a single bill.