Etisalat Selects Synamedia and 3SS for Switch TV Lean Back Experience

London and Stuttgart – April 19, 2022 – UAE’s largest operator, Etisalat UAE, part of e&, has chosen technologies and services from Synamedia and 3 Screen Solutions (3SS) to add a lean-back TV experience for its direct-to-consumer (D2C) streaming service, Switch TV. With the addition of smart TV apps, developed by 3SS and Synamedia for LG smart TVs and Samsung TVs running the Tizen operating system, and an Apple TV app developed by Synamedia, Switch TV offers a seamless experience across a broad range of devices.

The smart TV apps involved integrating 3SS’s front-end solution with technologies from Synamedia, Etisalat’s key technology partner. Etisalat uses Synamedia’s Infinite cloud TV platform, security solutions and its end-to-end video network portfolio, including private CDN.

Jonathan Haysom, VP of Commercial Products at Etisalat, said: “Since the launch of Switch TV in 2020, we have continued to enhance the service with new functionality and a choice of service levels to suit different budgets. We saw an opportunity to launch apps on smart TVs and Apple TV when choosing Synamedia and 3SS as our deployment partners because their expertise in this field is second to none.”

Synamedia, the largest independent video software provider, and 3SS, the leading provider of software solutions for STBs and multiscreen entertainment, worked together to develop and integrate the Switch TV ecosystem. It went live in March 2022 with a class leading set of features including VOD, live TV, mini EPG, and parental controls.

Based on the 3SS 3Ready Product Framework, the smart TV app has both left and right navigation to support the UX in Arabic and Asian languages as well as English. Switch TV customers now enjoy a lean-back experience while watching their favorite cricket games, TV shows and movies.

Jean-Francois Pigeon, Executive Vice President ofSales & Marketing at Synamedia, said, “SwitchTV has been a game-changer for viewers across the UAE region. A contributing factor to this success is that Etisalat has taken advantage of our technology’s flexibility to add new devices, features and business models, all underpinned by data analytics. Working with 3SS, we have ensured that the smart TV and Apple TV apps for Switch TV feature the same high-end user experience as on STBs as well as the high levels of security Etisalat requires.”

“Smart TV platforms are becoming increasingly important for operators to complement their next-gen STB; it is vital for any successful brand that the user experience on both be seamless, high-quality and unified,” commented Kai-Christian Borchers, 3SS Managing Director. “We are very proud to support Etisalat, and to continue to collaborate with Synamedia to deliver advanced experiences to more and more smart TV viewers.”

Etisalat’s Switch TV multiscreen service features free-to-air and premium live TV channels, catch-up and on-demand, with Arabic, Asian and Western TV channels. It offers users a choice of-subscription options, including a free service, and features an extensive library of content from providers including Zee, BBC, MBC, Fox, Walt Disney, Warner Bros., NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, and Sony Pictures.

About Etisalat

Etisalat Group is one of the world’s leading telecom groups in emerging markets, with consolidated net revenues at AED 52.2 billion and consolidated net profit of AED 8.7 billion for 2019. Its high credit ratings reflect the company’s strong balance sheet and proven long-term performance. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, Etisalat was established over four decades ago in the UAE as the country’s first telecommunications service provider. An international blue-chip organisation, Etisalat Group provides innovative solutions and services to 150 million subscribers in 16 countries across the Middle East, Asia and Africa. www.etisalat.com

About Synamedia

We’re trusted by over 200 video service providers to deliver, protect and monetize video content in an increasingly IP world. Synamedia’s flexible incremental architecture provides a rapid, friction-free way to add, build and deploy cloud-based video services. Our award-winning portfolio also includes intelligence-led anti-piracy, advanced advertising, business analytics, broadband, and video network solutions and services. Synamedia’s technology is in 320 million active devices and protects $70 billion in revenue annually. Synamedia is backed by the Permira funds and Sky. Twitter: @SynamediaVideo LinkedIn: Synamedia

About 3 Screen Solutions (3SS)

3SS delivers experiences people love. We enable seamless entertainment experiences across all screens, for and together with service providers worldwide. 3SS is the go-to partner to co-create the best possible services in an agile, open and collaborative way. Founded in 2009, we are an acknowledged leader in system integration, software engineering, UI/UX design innovation and solution architecture. We created 3Ready, the world's leading Entertainment Ecosystem, to accelerate launches of entertainment services on all devices, co-create and enable customer-centric innovation. The award-winning 3Ready Entertainment Ecosystem counts 17 operators with 35 million users reach, and two automotive projects. Major operators worldwide rely on 3SS innovation. These include A1 Telekom Austria Group, Swisscom, Tele2, Allente, Proximus, TCC Uruguay, Elisa Estonia, Altibox, ORS,Yes, Vodafone, Norlys, Liberty Global, SES, Eutelsat, and O2/Telefonica.Broadcast customers include ProSiebenSat.1, Joyn (ProSiebenSat.1/Discovery), SUPER RTL (TOGGO), n-tv, Blockbuster and Viacom, among others. 3ss.tv,3ready.tv  ‍

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For Synamedia, please contact:

Rachel Postlethwaite
SynamediaUK@breakawaycom.com