18 June 2019 – Geneva, Switzerland: ADB, a leading provider of CPE and complete solutions for TV and broadband networks, has today announced that Foxtel, one of Australia’s most innovative and dynamic media companies, has chosen vuTyme™ – ADB’s interactive TV hospitality solution – for deployment across Australia. vuTyme™ is a premium hospitality system enabling operators to deliver extensive program offers along with a wide range of interactive multimedia services outside of the residential environment.
Foxtel has led the delivery of Australia’s best TV entertainment experience to millions of customers across streaming, cable and satellite platforms. With ADB’s vuTyme™, Foxtel will bring the world’s best commercial technology to deliver the experience that guests want and the features that business operators need.
ADB vuTyme™ system is based on a three main elements: a cloud-based back-end management software component that allows eliminating on-site system control hardware, an advanced, multi-function set-back-box, and a highly intuitive client software. The system interfaces with a variety of hotel Property Management Systems (PMS), facilitating automatic integration of the vuTyme™ related transactions with the guest’s main hotel bill. By deploying vuTyme™, Foxtel will transform the entertainment and technology experience across Hotels, workforce accommodation sites, aged care homes, small medium businesses and pubs and clubs.
“When designing and developing the vuTyme™ system, our guiding concept has been always to maintain a delicate balance between the needs of a broadcaster such as Foxtel, business establishment operators and the ultimate end-user: a TV viewer”, says Malgorzata Boron-Ott, ADB Executive VP for Business Control and Special Projects. “I think we have achieved our objective hence we are truly delighted to see such a leading media company as Foxtel choosing our solution.”
“We are thrilled that Foxtel has chosen to have the most advanced In-Room-Entertainment solution, vuTyme™, to offer to their customer base of hoteliers, hospitals, and other commercial properties. In turn, those customers and their clientele will experience an exceptional video platform that may be best described as intelligent simplicity” – said Chris Dinallo, SVP and GM of ADB Americas.
ADB vuTyme™ offers both the broadcasters and hotel operators an extensive set of features indeed – carries-on Dinallo, who had introduced vuTyme™ to Foxtel – many of them developed as a result of our previous years-long and very broad experience with large American MSOs. Examples of such features include easily customized channel line-up, a seamless interface with various PMS (as already mentioned above), flexible messaging that includes emergency alerts and targeted advertising, signage carried out with the help of a standard vuTyme™ terminals and TVs, as well as local insertion of various own content and extensive system monitoring.
While the CPE and system monitoring is important to ensure high quality user experience and minimize service cost, remote control of the network devices parameters allows for customization of the broadband access service known as “guest paywall” – very helpful in flexible marketing of the broadband service.
At the same time, the easily deployed and operated digital signage offers either the operator or a property manager (or both) a flexible advertising and/or information billboard functions realized through a use of a TV screen and a standard vuTyme™ CPE.
The vuTyme™ features and functions available to a guest are no less extensive, turning TV viewing into a true interactive infotainment service: from the basic, locally broadcast, linear channels, news and weather to Foxtel’s premium sport, entertainment and movies programming that a guest can experience either linear or on-demand. Two functions that truly distinguish vuTyme™ from its competitors are video content casting from a mobile device and the DVR Lite.
The first one allows a guest to watch on the hotel TV screen a content that he/she may wish to access through his/her mobile device, while the second one facilitates an easy and convenient way to pause, rewind and then resume any live content with a single push of a button.
All above services are presented through an elegant user interface in many languages and with an interactive guide.
“Foxtel searched the globe to find the best guest engagement platform for commercial premises and is delighted to develop this technology with ADB for the Australian market. Our first key design principle was ensuring the technology delivered a best in class service and support experience for our customers. The flexible and scalable architecture delivers cloud managed service customisation and integrates with our customers’ brands, operations and systems. Certified, trusted and tested, it’s a smart technology stack for businesses.
Just as critical is delivering a better than home experience for our commercial customers and their guests. vuTyme™ enables Foxtel to deliver, for the first time, all of our live and streaming content, any content the business wants to screen; and casting of any content that the user brings with them.
In this category and commercial market, this is truly the world’s best technology” – said Steve O’Connor, Group Director of Commercial Premises at Foxtel.
“We are delighted that we can introduce vuTyme™ to the Australian market in cooperation with such an innovative and leading entertainment provider like Foxtel. It will be a great opportunity to leverage all the capabilities we included in vuTyme™ and let the operator, property owners and guests benefit from it” – said Grzegorz Michalak, Project Technical Director at ADB.
