Two British companies, Simply Global TV and CompleteTV, have partnered to create a hybrid broadband and broadcast television service which is independent of any particular internet service provider. It is one of a number of initiatives that will compete with services such as BT Vision from incumbent telecommunications companies.
Complete Media Systems, which now trades as Complete TV, will supply its Set Top Media Center to Simply Media for the new Simply Global TV service. The STMC integrates IPTV channels delivered over broadband with Freeview channels delivered over digital terrestrial television broadcasts into a single customer experience, with support for pausing and recording and pausing live television.
The Simply Global TV service combines mainstream IPTV content with specialist programming focussed on specific ethnic communities. “The Simply Global TV service addresses everything the user needs — a simple interface, mainstream content, recording capabilities, and specialist programming unavailable anywhere else,” said John Donovan, the managing director of Simply Global TV.
“The work we have done with Simply Global TV addresses our combined vision of a seamless TV experience — combining IPTV over the public Internet with Freeview broadcast services,” said Philip Smith, the chief marketing officer of CompleteTV. “IPTV over the public internet truly is the future, and the work we have done with Simply on advanced buffering and integrated services demonstrates the potential of such services.”
Founded in 2001, Simply Media operates a number of niche digital channels, including some on satellite and cable. They include the Baby Channel, specifically about parenting. Its chairman is Mike Luckwell, an active investor in the television industry in London.