Cable Operators to Pay a Price for Tablet Addiction, Heavy Reading Finds

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cable operators are rushing to push content and services to a wide range of consumer devices, including iPads and smartphones, but the lack of management software to track and coordinate delivery platforms will cause some MSOs considerable pain, according to the latest report from Heavy Reading Cable Industry Insider (www.heavyreading.com/cable), a subscription research service from Heavy Reading (www.heavyreading.com).

Cable's Tablet Habit Will Lead to a Management Headache identifies and analyzes the technology implications of pushing IP video services to more end-user devices, focusing on the management challenges posed by multi-screen services. The 15-page report explores such issues as video formats, resolutions, user entitlements, digital rights management (DRM), metadata, billing, subscriber management and business policies. The report identifies and profiles multi-screen management offerings from 16 suppliers.

For a list of companies covered in this report, http://img.lightreading.com/cii/pdf/cii0512_companies.pdf

"As multi-screen options proliferate with more devices and content, the challenges will multiply," notes Craig Leddy, research analyst with Heavy Reading Cable Industry Insider and author of the report. "Cable increasingly will need comprehensive solutions that manage the wide variety of unique characteristics of each distribution avenue and device platform."

Although the need for more robust management platforms is becoming more evident, cable operators have been far from aggressive in deploying those platforms up to now, Leddy says.  "For cable operators, handling all these pieces is like putting together a gigantic jigsaw puzzle," he explains. "However, MSO adoption of management solutions is lagging the pace of their multi-screen deployments."

Key findings of Cable's Tablet Habit Will Lead to a Management Headache include the following:

• Serving multiple screens increases requirements to manage multiple formats, entitlements, DRMs, business polices and subscriber support.
• Multi-screen content and device requirements will continue to multiply and fragment in the marketplace.
• Cable needs software solutions to manage the content and device criteria and ensure quality of experience for customers.
• Suppliers are offering various management solutions, but MSO adoption does not appear to be keeping pace with the flood of multi-screen criteria.
• MSOs need a holistic approach to managing multi-screen services, which will help prepare them for all-IP service delivery.

Cable's Tablet Habit Will Lead to a Management Headache is available as part of an annual subscription (six issues) to Heavy Reading Cable Industry Insider, priced at $1,595. Individual reports are available for $900.

To subscribe, or for more information about Heavy Reading Cable Industry Insider, please visit: www.heavyreading.com/cable. For more information about other Heavy Reading Insider research services, please visit: www.heavyreading.com/research.

To request a free executive summary of the report, or for details on multi-user licensing options, please contact:

Jeff Claudino
Director of Sales
Insider Research Services
619-229-9940
claudino@lightreading.com

Press/analyst contact:
Jennifer Baker
Marketing Director, Light Reading Communications Network
617-871-1910
jbaker@lightreading.com

About Heavy Reading (www.heavyreading.com)

Heavy Reading is an independent research organization offering deep analysis of emerging telecom trends to network operators, technology suppliers, and investors. Its product portfolio includes in-depth reports that address critical next-generation technology and service issues, market trackers that focus on the telecom industry's most critical technology sectors, exclusive worldwide surveys of network operator decision-makers that identify future purchasing and deployment plans, and a rich array of custom and consulting services that give clients the market intelligence needed to compete successfully in the $4 trillion global telecom industry. As a telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network (www.lrcn.com), Heavy Reading contributes to the only integrated business information platform serving the global communications industry.

About Light Reading Communications Network (www.lrcn.com)

The Light Reading Communications Network combines the most trusted telecom research brands with award-winning online communities and a rich events portfolio to deliver the only integrated business information platform serving the global communications industry.   With the power of this platform, leaders who build, deploy, finance, and regulate next-generation telecom networks are able to make more informed decisions on emerging market and service opportunities.  Light Reading Communications Network is a division of UBM TechWeb (www.ubmtechweb.com), the global leader in technology media and business information.

SOURCE Heavy Reading