MediaHub is a software company that develops a high-end turnkey solution for OTT TV and IPTV 2.0. The company helps Service Providers and Telecoms offer a multi-screen TV service to their subscribers, which competes in quality and features with the services provided by global companies like Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Disney.
Borislav Bozhilov is a serial entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience in telecommunications, software development, and media services. He is a co-founder and managing director of MediaHub.
What type of clients need your software platform?
This would be any telecom or service provider who needs to replace their current TV technology with the new IPTV 2.0. These are businesses with an existing TV service who want to remain competitive by introducing a superior IPTV solution or market leaders who want to expand their customer base by introducing a new generation TV service.
Usually, these companies do not have the internal resources to develop and deploy their own IPTV/OTT solution or do not want to manage several different vendors and to integrate a “patchwork” software platform.
Either way, these are TV service providers who share our vision about the future of TV and what a next-generation TV service should look like.
What business needs can IPTV serve?
IPTV, and especially the new generation IPTV 2.0., serves one basic business need, a crucial need of any subscription service – subscriber base growth. We are focused on providing the software solution that serves this goal, and this is what we have achieved for each one of our clients.
The next logical question is how does an IPTV platform solve a purely business problem?
Well, this question has a simple answer with not-so-simple execution. It all comes down to our strategy for solving the business problem of our clients.
The business domain experience, technological knowledge about video services, and software development know-how are essential.
Our business was born based on realizing that the TV industry is at the edge of a vast transformation. The market and user habits are changing due to the technological revolution we have been experiencing in the last 15 years. Young people who have been growing up in this new “smart devices” environment and in the information whirlwind have entirely different approaches and needs when it comes to TV content and video consumption.
It is no secret that the youngest generations do not watch traditional TV and are unlikely to be inclined to do so in the future. There are several reasons for this, but to sum it up, these generations have their user habits shaped by global leaders such as YouTube and Netflix.
They control the content and consume it when and where they want. Their entire approach is different - while previous generations watch TV and choose between channels, new generations choose between video content. In that case, if we want these new types of consumers, TV content delivery needs to change.
We built a technological platform to provide a new TV service that can cater to these advanced consumer needs. By solving the user problem, we solve the business problem.
What are the key features of the MediaHub platform for IPTV/OTT TV?
As discussed earlier, the shifts in user habits pushed by the technological advancements are shaping our work. The applications we are developing now are ten times more complex than those that existed just five years ago. Currently, we have over 150 features in just one of our applications (and we have 4 apps as of now).
When speaking of functionalities for IPTV 2.0, we need to think beyond standard features such as “Catch-up TV” or “Network DVR”. There are many “invisible” features that people do not even realize exist – they are simply used to having them when using any of the global services mentioned earlier. Most of the new functionalities are related to automations – our software “thinks” instead of the consumer.
Our focus has always been on delivering a superior user experience, which contributes to a service that is pleasant and easy to use, meeting customer expectations.
We are happy to see that some of our functionalities are new to the IPTV market and are shaping user habits and future trends.
What is the current state of the IPTV/OTT services globally? What trends do you expect to emerge in the future, and how are you preparing for them?
As mentioned before, the industry is on the brink of a general transformation.
I believe the future trends will distress all video content providers – streaming and TV services alike. Freedom of choice will be at the heart of the new context. Up to now, content has been programmed and curated. In the future, the user will have complete control over what to watch and where to watch it.
Telecoms and Service providers will evolve and start offering a new type of service – bundles including national OTT TV and global streaming services, giving consumers the option to build their own personal universe of content.
This is the future, and our solution answers these needs!
What are your key business goals going forward?
Our short-term goal is to finalize all applications required for a modern multi-screen solution - for different smart TV sets, for mobile devices, for game consoles, for web access, etc.
The next step, being developed simultaneously with the previous, is to have the maximum number of functionalities for each application while meeting our internal requirement for a unique user experience.
The last step is to implement AI and ML modules that will monitor the user habits and allow for greater automation and personalization of the content being used.
It is important to note that the platform development is not an end in itself nor has a deadline. In the big picture, we want to create the trends (not follow them) which will enable our business clients to compete successfully with the global industry leaders.
Would you consider expanding on foreign markets?
We are already in the process of expanding our reach to new markets. We have made a thorough analysis of potential markets in several geographies. The current sales efforts are focused on Europe, Latin America and the Middle East with several leads already in the pipeline.