Digitaltveurope.com

‘Best of the web’ channel provider QYou Media has struck a deal with Ericsson to use the latter’s Unified Delivery Network (UDN) platform, designed to provide an alternative to traditional CDNs by enabling content providers to reach Ericsson’s customer base of service providers.

Under the pair’s deal Ericsson will deliver QYou content over the UDN to existing customers while also introducing QYou’s millennial-focused programming to Ericsson’s service provider customer base. Ericsson said that the ad-supported content distribution model is designed to create new opportunities for QYou, Ericsson and service providers.

In addition to delivering QYou’s content via the UDN, Ericsson will also distribute The QYou app on connected TVs and set-top boxes. There will also be provision for The QYou to add localised content to new connected devices and new markets.

Marcus Bergström, Director of UDN programme and strategy at Ericsson, said: “Many of the world’s largest service providers and content providers use our UDN ecosystem to deliver content to connected customers around the world. With many millennials opting for skinny bundles or free short-form content online through social media, there is an opportunity to use our network, to add value, and to monetise the content that clearly appeals to this hard-to-reach market segment. QYou’s best-of-web content will provide our partner and customers with a ready means to attract and retain younger subscribers.”

Curt Marvis, CEO and co-founder of QYou Media, said: “More and more TV providers are recognising the need to match millennial tastes with millennial programming. We strongly believe that digital-first content, expertly curated and packaged, has a home on television’s multiscreen landscape. Hot on the heels of our expanded distribution into 17 million homes with Tata Sky in India, comes this deal that has the potential to deliver QYou to hundreds of millions of subscribers globally. Partnering with Ericsson, one of the leading companies in the content-delivery industry and as part of a broader ecosystem that now encompasses 55 content providers and 40 service providers around the world, is another step to bringing web-first content to a wider audience, and showcasing its monetisation potential.”