Allente Taps 3SS, KAON to Power Android TV Services Across Nordics

3 Screen Solutions (3SS), a provider of software solutions for set-top boxes and multiscreen entertainment, and KAONMEDIA, a provider of STBs and broadband customer premises equipment, jointly announce that Allente, the new entity resulting from the recent merger between Viasat Consumer and Canal Digital AS, is to deploy KAON STBs and middleware alongside new 3SS-enabled viewing experience advances across its aggregated 1.2 million subscriber base.

The Nordic region’s new pre-eminent pay-TV provider, Allente is building upon its successful 3SS-enabled OnePlace satellite and OTT service which Canal Digital launched in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland in February 2018, which is based on the Android TV Operator Tier.

The merger of Viasat Consumer and Canal Digital was EU-approved and completed in May 2020. The combined company and its consumer offering, rebranded as Allente, offers TV distribution via satellite, streaming and other services including IPTV and fibre broadband via open networks to an aggregated total of 1.2 million customers in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

Allente’s new hybrid KAON PVR STB is made for an enhanced user experience and new services, and is more powerful than incumbent OnePlace on-premise equipment. With a host of advanced features, the new devices will enable Allente’s subscribers to enjoy a range of benefits from high performance to an already proven enriched customer experience.

Jon Espen Nergård, Allente CTO, said, “Delivering these new powerful STBs to our audiences is a major milestone as we open our new chapter as Allente. Thanks to our key partners, KAON and 3SS, we are well-equipped to further build on our award-winning successes, and we look forward to providing even better experiences to our valued subscribers.”

The new STBs will be deployed this year in a phased rollout. Online OTT viewing will be enabled first, followed by DTH satellite-delivered TV, and later, PVR capability and IPTV will be introduced. KAON STB middleware is fully integrated with Google’s Android TV software stack to enable new pre-certified Android TV capabilities such as Custom Over-The-Air Update, further accelerating the introduction of new features that will generate value for customers, enhance viewer appeal and grow service uptake.

Part of Allente’s technology evolution is the migration of OnePlace from Android N to Android P compliancy, including on existing OnePlace STBs.

OnePlace provides next-generation UHD entertainment, and features a 3SS-developed custom launcher for a powerful, loyalty-enhancing Android TV user experience.

3SS is developing additional new UI features and capabilities for second-generation OnePlace, in partnership with Allente, which will feature on the entire STB population. Among these are catch-up TV collapsing, which will make searching for an episode in a series catalogue easier. Additionally, all OnePlace receivers will feature electronic sell-through (EST) with more buy and rent options for subscribers, across a broader-than-ever range of assets.

“The highly fragmented and competitive entertainment landscape today is more challenging than ever for operators, and the need to provide superior experiences for subscribers is business-essential; we are honored to have been selected by Allente, a true world leader, to help deliver first-class experiences to viewers today and tomorrow,” commented Tom Buhl, KAON Media Executive Vice President.

“We are extremely proud that Allente continues to trust our team to help deliver advanced TV entertainment to consumers across the Nordic region,” commented Kai-Christian Borchers, Managing Director of 3SS.

“We look forward to collaborating with KAON to help Allente delight even more consumers with captivating, next-level viewing experiences,” he added.

Embracing SAFe continues to accelerate innovation

Allente will continue to benefit from modern principles of agile development, introduced to its predecessor Canal Digital by 3SS. By embracing the principles of “SAFe” (Scaled Agile Framework), the practical experience-based software development framework which accelerates and optimizes system deployments, Allente’s product development teams can operate with a high level of efficiency and effectiveness.

The combination of regular workshops, concurrent work streams and regular incremental project update sessions enable streamlined innovation, better productivity, effective planning and products which deliver best-possible experiences to subscribers. With SAFe, all stakeholders in a project, both inside the company and partners, know the status of objectives and exactly where they are in the progress of a granular roadmap of deliverables.

3SS’ track record in major international Android TV deployments is unrivalled, extending as far back as 2014. To date, eight major operators worldwide have chosen 3SS solutions to enhance their Android-based pay-TV services.