Using IP Intelligence to Personalize Content for Digital On-Demand Services

Across the globe, traditional TV viewers are transforming into a new segment of consumers who are choosing to access multimedia content on-demand. YouView, a joint venture between BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, BT, Talk Talk and Arqiva, is the United Kingdom’s on-demand service delivering more than 70 live, free-to-air digital TV and radio channels as well as seven-day catch-up from the UK’s public service broadcast players. A range of quality content is also available via on-demand players from Netflix, UKTV Play, NOW TV, Sky Store, Quest OD from Discovery, milkshake!, S4C and STV for viewers in Scotland.

Alongside great free TV channels and on-demand television, YouView also offers pay-on-demand content, and pay content through Internet channels from selected partner ISPs and national broadband providers who offer on-screen branding, packaged services and features. The key challenges for YouView in setting up its pay content distribution involved identifying set-top boxes being installed for the first time on BT, TalkTalk or Plusnet ISP lines; serving the relevant on-screen branding, packaged services and features provided by those ISPs; and–on a daily basis–ensuring each set-top box continued to accurately surface relevant ISP features.

To help enable these ISP set-top box features, YouView deployed IP Intelligence data. YouView is now able to seamlessly meet its pay content distribution requirements and serve only the relevant ISP-packaged service to the set-top box. By determining the Autonomous System Number (ASN)–a critical element in the Internet routing architecture–IP Intelligence identifies the ISP of the home so the relevant packaged service can be delivered.

“From the moment a YouView set-top box is installed in a home, it needs to reflect the brand, features and content offering of our partner ISPs, and ensure ISP migrations are instantly recognized and updated on in-situ YouView set-top boxes. The content delivered needs to change automatically and seamlessly for a superior customer experience,” explained Sunit Kotchea, YouView’s operations director.

Using IP Intelligence technology, YouView is able to ensure a seamless, personalized viewing experience for the consumer–and to continue to deliver extraordinary TV to everyone.

Read the full case study to learn about the other benefits YouView receives from IP Intelligence technology.