Little Rock, Ark.-based telecom Windstream has partnered with OTT vendor MobiTV to launch a new technology backbone for its Kinetic TV service.
The new app-based MobiTV Connect-based platform will be a “direct replacement” for the legacy Kinetic TV underpinnings, Geoff Levy, senior VP of marketing for Windstream, told Telecompetitor.
Levy described MobiTV as a “much better platform” compared to the previous Ericsson solution, noting that it “allows for a cloud DVR.” UHD/4K and voice control will also be enabled.
Related: MobiTV Lines Up Programmers for New Video Streaming Platform
The service, Levy noted, “will have the same channel lineup and the prices will be the same.”
The MobiTV Connect service is IP-based and delivered over the operator client’s managed network.
Users will be able to access the service via Android- and iOS-powered mobile devices, as well as Amazon Fire TV OTT hardware and Android TV-powered smart TVs. Users will also have the option of leasing for $6 a month a set-top from Windstream based on the Android TV operator tier platform.
The new service will launch in Windstream’s North Georgia footprint, followed by Lincoln, Nebraska. Kinetic TV is expected to be available across eight additional markets this year, the company said. Windstream offers Kinetic-branded internet services in 18 states.
Windstream said it will continue to support customers who want to keep using Mediaroom services delivered over IPTV or cable TV network infrastructure, but those offerings will no longer be available to new customers.
