Irdeto, a provider of content and business model protection solutions and services, has announced an expanded relationship with Al Jazeera Sport, part of the Al Jazeera Network and a provider of sports TV services in the Middle East and North Africa.

Irdeto will now protect Al Jazeera Sport’s premium content across its entire digital TV network and as part of the agreement, will source more than 500,000 Irdeto Smart Cards.

The expanded agreement between Al Jazeera Sport and Irdeto aligns with a drive in the Gulf to protect content and curb sales of illegal TV set-top boxes that decrypt pay-TV channels.

Irdeto informed its solution provides Al Jazeera Sport with a scalable Conditional Access System (CAS) featuring protection against the theft of content over their networks — including pay-per-view (PPV) and video-on-demand (VOD).

Harmonic has announced that Altibox (formerly Lyse Tele), a telecommunications service provider based in Norway, has deployed Harmonic’s StreamLiner video servers, Armada ‘intelligent asset management’, and ProStream 8000 digital mosaic solution.

The company informed the deployment will enable advanced IPTV video-on-demand (VOD) services and multi-channel mosaic viewing for Altibox subscribers across Norway and Denmark. Altibox is initially introducing this IPTV offering for Norwegian Elite Series football programming with plans to expand to additional sporting events in the future.

With this deployment, subscribers can watch a live football match and switch to on-demand viewing of important events in other matches using Altibox’s intuitive Electronic Program Guide (EPG).

In addition, the ProStream 8000 digital video mosaic solution generates the multi-channel mosaics that allow the subscriber to watch up to eight simultaneous football matches on a mosaic grid or in full-screen mode, and interactively link to the VOD content to follow highlights from all matches.

Ericsson and Tandberg Television, part of the Ericsson Group, are set to launch a host of advanced solutions that will offer consumers the latest in video-on-demand (VOD) technology, including the option to move their viewing experience across various screens.

The solutions will be demonstrated and launched at the 2009 International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Ericsson has revealed the new products and demonstrations at IBC will include:

a) Device-aware back-office system for multiplatform TV: The OpenStream Digital Services Platform allows consumers to experience their VOD services on PCs, TVs and mobile devices, shifting the services between each screen. The system can also support VOD deployments with both MPEG 4 AVC-capable set-top boxes and legacy MPEG 2 set-top boxes.

b) VOD for digital terrestrial and satellite TV platforms: Any multichannel TV operator can now offer consumers on-demand services via a progressive download to their set-top box or direct to the TV.

c) VOD without a set-top box: A new VOD solution, based on CI+ or Open IPTV Forum standards, enables service operators to deliver on-demand services such as network-based time-shift services and targeted advertisements directly to the TV without a set-top box.

d) One-way VOD opens the door for on-demand services to all cable set-top boxes: The system is designed for cable operators who either have a one-way hybrid fibre-coaxial cable (HFC) network or have deployed one-way set-top boxes.

Rubberduck Media Lab, a provider of mobile TV and video services, has now launched a mobile TV and video service for Telefonica O2 Ireland.

Under the terms of the agreement, Rubberduck Media Lab is providing a completely outsourced mobile TV service to Telefonica O2 Ireland including content acquisition and provision as well as technical support and management.

The service called O2 TV has now been launched in Ireland and is available for all O2 customers using a video enabled handset such as most Sony Ericson, Samsung and Nokia mobile phones.

O2 TV is available across the EDGE, 3G and HSDPA networks. Users can subscribe to two packages, one with Sky channels (sports and news) and an O2 Lifestyle-pack of channels such as RTE, BBC, CNN, Cartoon Network and Travel Channel.

NDS, a provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, has announced the availability of its conditional access (CA) add-on module, NDS VideoGuard Pre-Paid.

The company said the offering will enable operators in both emerging and mature markets to provide customers with ‘more payment options at minimal cost’. Brand-ID Europe, a provider of pre-paid payment services, supplies the back-office payment component with its CHKVIEW solution together with a full range of scratch card and e-voucher options.

Based on VideoGuard CA, NDS VideoGuard Pre-Paid reportedly allows pay-TV operators to reach new market segments with pay-as-you-go TV services.

Explaining further the company informed that with this offering, subscribers can purchase and store credit for future viewing options or for immediate activation. Once they decide to purchase content, the set amount will be debited from their stored credit. VideoGuard Pre-Paid then sends the entitlement rights from the operator’s head-end directly to the individual’s smart card inside their set-top box (STB) and allows the viewer access to the chosen content, the company added.

Ericsson has informed that it is enabling Sweden’s cable television operator, Com Hem, to deliver advanced entertainment services to its consumers via an interactive TV platform.

The on-demand TV platform supports a range of advanced services, such as video-on-demand, catch-up and start-over TV programmes and music on-demand, and also includes a flexible interactive portal for Com Hem’s new Landlord-Tenant service. The rollout of the new services has started.

As prime integrator, Ericsson is designing, integrating and delivering the TV platform, which includes hardware and software solutions from Tandberg Television, part of the Ericsson group. The platform includes the OpenStream Digital Services Platform, Xport Producer and EQ8096, as well as products from a number of third-party vendors.

RDF Digital USA and Artificial Life recently announced a collaboration to produce an interactive animated TV show entitled ‘Sleuths’.

Implementing Artificial Life’s MoPA-TV system (‘mobile participation television’ that enables live TV broadcasters to support real-time viewer interaction with their shows using their mobile phones), ‘Sleuths’ is being promoted as the ‘first’ television show in the United States to let audiences become part of the storyline.

‘Sleuths’ is a half-hour animated episodic series featuring four kids solving a mystery every week. In the show, the audiences register and customise their own avatar, which will appear on the screen representing them while the show airs live on national television.

Three times per episode, the avatars of the registered audience members will appear in the show for voting sessions. A question will be asked in each session and they will have to text in their vote within a limited time frame. Those who get it wrong will be eliminated from the screen; those who get the question right will be congratulated on the correct answer and stay for the next question.

At the end of each episode, the top five avatars who answered all of the questions correctly will appear on screen one final time standing with the main characters. All audience members will have a shot as seeing their avatar standing next to the show’s stars, the company explained.

The Orange France Telecom Group has acquired 100 per cent of Unanimis, an exclusive digital advertising network in the UK.

Unanimis has exclusive online advertising relationships with key website brands such as the AA, Ticketmaster, ASOS, Gumtree and Shopping.com.

Orange believes together, Orange and Unanimis will have particular strength in the area of online advertising.

The company also claims the combined ad sales network will create a reach of over 70 per cent of internet users in the UK, extending to over 66 per cent reach cumulated across UK, France, Spain and Poland.

Unanimis will continue to operate under its brand name and will become part of the Orange Group Advertising Network, which offers advertisers and publishers an opportunity to reach new audiences by leveraging Orange’s multi-screen assets across the PC, mobile and TV platforms.

Nevion, a media transport solution provider for broadcasters, telecommunications service providers and government entities, has added Xavier Gentric to a senior sales role in western Europe.

Based in France, Gentric will manage Nevion’s growth in the region, providing strategic sales and management of key customer relationships.

Gentric brings project management and technical experience, including 13 years in digital television and wireless communications know-how.

At TandbergTV UK, he handled MPEG compression and VOD sales to national cable operators and telecommunications providers. Prior positions included a senior role at Thales Broadcast and Multimedia, where he managed a sales team and provided business development functions across national television networks.

Modern Times Group (MTG), an international entertainment broadcasting group, has signed an agreement to acquire the live broadcasting rights to the National Hockey League (NHL) in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark.

MTG’s coverage of the NHL will start in October 2009 with the beginning of the 2009-2010 season. The NHL’s rights are syndicated by sports media company, ESPN, in the Nordic region and the rest of Europe.

NHL games will be broadcast on Sweden’s ice hockey channel, Viasat Hockey, a new Swedish TV channel, launching this September; on Viasat Sport in Norway; and on Viasat channels in Finland and Denmark.

The agreement with ESPN and the NHL includes five exclusive NHL matches every week during the regular season between October and April, news and highlights from all NHL matches, and co-exclusive rights with ESPN America to all of the Stanley Cup Playoff games between April and June.

In addition to Viasat Hockey, NHL games will also appear on other Viasat channels in Sweden. The agreement also provides live online streaming rights to all NHL matches for Viasat OnDemand in conjunction with ESPN360, ESPN’s broadband service.

Viasat has already secured a range of exclusive ice hockey broadcasting rights including the annual IIHF World Championship, the KHL, Sweden’s HockeyAllsvenskan league and the Norwegian Get league.