Accenture helps Mediaset launch Premium Play— a groundbreaking, multi-device, Over-the-Top TV service—and maintain high performance with ongoing innovative offerings Accenture Video Solution attracts more than 1 million users for Italy’s leading broadcaster’s Premium Play OTT-TV service About the Mediaset Group

Mediaset Group is the first commercial broadcaster in Italy and a major media company in Europe. The group operates a wide range of broadcast and related media, including free-to-air generalist (Canale 5, Italia 1, Retequattro) and mini-generalist television (other Digital Terrestrial TV channels), pay TV (Mediaset Premium), TV drama and film production, broadcast infrastructure management and home shopping (Mediashopping). The company has also expanded its business beyond Italy by becoming the major shareholder of the Spanish broadcasters Telecinco and Cuatro, and by acquiring Endemol— a leading global TV format producer. In 2011, Mediaset Group reported consolidated net revenues of over $4.250 billion.

Accenture helps Mediaset launch Premium Play 1 Business challenge Mediaset is a major Italian commercial broadcaster and the market leader in terms of advertising revenues. Since 2004, when the company’s principal offering was three free-to-air channels, the broadcaster has grown at an enormous pace as it embraced digital terrestrial TV technology.

To diversify its revenue stream, the company launched Considered the first OTT-TV service in Italy, Premium in January 2005 a new business unit, Mediaset Play is helping Mediaset improve customer loyalty Premium, a subscription-based pay-TV offering by providing richer and higher-quality “anywhere and on digital terrestrial television that achieved rapid anytime” services, helping both to increase average success. This success led the company to develop revenue per user and attract new customers. a new offering in non-linear video distribution Customer growth has been on a steady rise since the over broadband networks—what is now known as debut of Premium Play, reinforced by high use of the “Over-the-Top-TV” or OTT-TV. The new Mediaset OTT- service with virtually no churn rate for such devices TV service, called “Premium Play,” is an innovative as STB. Premium Play continues to hold potential product that complements the company’s traditional to help increase the company’s advertising revenues linear TV premium channel offering, evolving the by enabling better customer profiling and targeting. broadcaster’s capabilities toward convergent, personalized, multi-device models. To deploy this strategic program,

Premium Play has since become an important Mediaset selected Accenture as its source of growth for Mediaset, becoming one of the robust solution provider and systems leading on-demand subscription services in Italy and integrator, making this choice from a Europe, boasting more than 1 million users across all available service-enabled devices (STB, PCTV, range of other large, global integrators iPad, Connected TV and Xbox 360). It is also and technology players. According to differentiating the Mediaset Premium brand from Franco Ricci, Managing Director at its competitors. Mediaset’s RTI, “Accenture is our natural innovation ally because of their deep industry vision, experience, strong con- vergent broadcast and broadband skills, and their knowledge of communications network technologies, IT applications and video content delivery and content management solutions.”

Accenture helps Mediaset launch Premium Play 1 How Accenture helped Accenture, in collaboration with Mediaset engineers, developed the Premium Play solution based on an open architecture that gives Mediaset both technological and business flexibility, facilitating greater interoperability between components and easier collaboration among allies across the communications and broadcast ecosystem.

Achieving product launch During the preliminary strategy phase of the Mediaset Premium Play project, the Accenture team worked with Mediaset’s engineers to design a set of new, leading- edge OTT-TV capabilities, including Video- on-Demand, Catch-up TV, and linear and virtual linear channels, helping Mediaset achieve first-mover advantage in the Italian video broadband market.

Mediaset asked Accenture to help confirm that the new service would be available at launch through industry- standard, DGTVi Gold-labeled, hybrid set- top boxes, available in the retail market. PC User Interface – Home page In addition, the company wanted to provide a seamless consumer experience The solution’s open architecture approach by making Premium Play content gave Mediaset both technological and available on a wide array of digital business flexibility, enabling greater devices including tablets, PCs, connected interoperability between components TVs, gaming consoles, smartphones and easier collaboration among allies and Blu-ray players. across the communications and broadcast ecosystem. The horizontal scalability The program was delivered on a very of the new platform can also enable challenging timetable—the service had the future growth of Mediaset’s IP to be ready for technical trial testing broadband business. in just seven months. One important advantage the project team had in This interoperability is supported by The pre-integrated assets meeting this challenge was the ability the Accenture Video Solution. Using a to leverage the Accenture Video Solution, and the industrialized service-oriented architecture approach, a suite of pre-integrated assets capable the solution’s platform exposes and development processes of orchestrating Mediaset’s legacy digital orchestrates business services, and video ingestion and assets management used by Accenture integrates with critical business support system. This powerful mix of integrated systems and operating support system enabled the development technologies enables the delivery of capabilities. As a result, the Mediaset digital video over broadband as a seam- team to deliver the Premium Play solution powered by less user experience, and allows for the Accenture is characterized by extensive integration of broadband and broadcast Premium Play service in flexibility and interoperability between digital video on multiple devices. The components. The solution’s unique record time—only seven solution is based on a smart IT architec- platform is also helping Mediaset ture that enables service providers to months from project start to expand into the broader European launch new, high-quality services quickly device ecosystem. to the initial piloting and economically while at the same time reducing risk and the initial costs of IT phase. and infrastructure set-up.

2 Accenture helps Mediaset launch Premium Play Accenture helps Mediaset launch Premium Play 3 2 Accenture helps Mediaset launch Premium Play Accenture helps Mediaset launch Premium Play 3 4 Accenture helps Mediaset launch Premium Play Ongoing innovations Samsung Connected TV • A recommendation engine that Mediaset complemented its Premium Play promotes relevant content to individuals Following the design, build, implementa- offering by enabling Samsung Smart TV based on their user profile, which holds tion and launch of the Premium Play to the service. The new Premium Play information on their viewing preferences product, Accenture continued to Samsung Connected TV application was and stated interests, and provides them collaborate with Mediaset on a number immediately well received by customers with a “personal content channel.” of initiatives as part of a multiyear due to the proliferation of connected TV • Adaptive streaming on all the devices to contract, including: devices that continues to steadily grow. provide a guaranteed quality of service, both in standard and high-definition, in Xbox 360 and iPad application iPad Download & Play an open Internet environment, even if Premium Play was further enhanced Accenture continued to innovate within the broadband line is congested or with the launch of an innovative iPad the iPad application, and collaborated unstable. The ability to provide a application that lets customers watch with Mediaset to develop and launch a consistent, high-quality service has a their favorite content wherever and “Download & Play” feature. With this fea- positive impact on customer acquisition whenever they want, becoming the first ture, users can download and store their and retention. service of this type on a mobile device. favorite video on-demand contents on • Interoperability across content delivery The application is an addition to the same their own devices based on their Mediaset networks to scale the number of one already available on Xbox 360, PC, Premium Subscription. customers that concurrently ask for STB application, and was completed in a video streaming, enabling more short span of three months. Customers can Supporting new effective management of content download the app for free from the Italian business models distribution costs to network providers. Apple Store and use it to access live TV, as Support for new business models was also well as the Mediaset On-Demand video a critical goal for Mediaset. Premium Play According to Francesco Venturini, library of around 2,000 items. The library includes different customer plans such as Accenture’s Global Broadcast Industry also offers a Catch-up TV and a Virtual subscription and transaction-based mod- Lead, “This ability to serve a ‘market of Linear Channel section. In the week after els (credit cards, prepaid vouchers, and so one’ is a strong differentiating aspect being added to the Italian Apple Store, on) and new advertising functionality. of the solution we built for Mediaset. the Premium Play app became “App of the Once again, the Accenture Service It enriches the traditional TV consumption Week,” and earned a four-star consumer Delivery Platform enabled the flexibility experience and will bring a new level of average rating. required to address these needs. Because engagement typical of the online world— of its extensive configurability, the plat- greater flexibility and more consumer Advertising form enables Mediaset to quickly change choice.” Premium Play features were enhanced the business rules defining the access further with the launch of advertising rights of different types of users and to Giovanni Gagliardi, Accenture’s Premium on different enabled devices, such as STB, offer new promotions to different audi- Play project Delivery Lead adds, “This PCTV, Connected TV and the iPad. This ences at different times without being solution will give Mediaset new ways new feature allows Mediaset to manage restricted by the processing rules of to enhance customer relationships and the advertising function, including the Mediaset’s CRM system. strengthen customer loyalty, especially pre-roll, an advertising banner in a detail with younger generations, and can page, and the post-roll, allowing Mediaset To enable a differentiated and interactive boost advertising-generated revenues to increasingly monetize more from the consumer experience, Accenture worked and content usage. These are critical service. with Mediaset to deploy a range of objectives for broadcasters as the role of innovative functions, including: the television continues to evolve from home television to personal television.”

4 Accenture helps Mediaset launch Premium Play Accenture helps Mediaset launch Premium Plays 5 6 Accenture helps Mediaset launch Premium Play Operations services Accenture Innovation Center On an ongoing basis, an Accenture Supporting the success of all initiatives Operations Team for Mediaset monitors is Mediaset’s access to the Accenture around the clock, seven days a week, Innovation Center in Rome. With more every aspect of on-demand delivery by than 500 professionals who are deeply using the Accenture Video Solution, which knowledgeable and experienced in the provides a fully featured control room. requirements of digital TV projects, The status of the service on each device the center is ideally positioned to help is controlled through a powerful operating companies seize the opportunities of support system from the platform to digital transformation. It offers services the network, through response time, the and application solutions such as digital monitoring of each technical service, and supply chain, OTT-TV, Web TV, mobile TV the monitoring of the content delivery and mobility services. The Innovation network performance, in order to deliver Center can also serve as the primary robust, high-quality service. integration point for multiple vendors and teams working at other locations, testing The Accenture Operations Team monitor- the range of technologies needed to ing Mediaset service delivery provides deliver solutions. in-depth experience in the following: According to Marco Pellegrinato, Deputy Director of • Service management Research and Development at Mediaset, “I have been • Video streaming troubleshooting engineers positively impressed with the competence of the

• Video ingestion and scheduling experts professionals at the Innovation Center. Accenture

• Information technology (IT) and data- hosted the ‘early bird’ of our new services on their base administration (DBA) engineers platform and also provided the business and operational • Monitoring operators support solution. The launch of Premium Play was very challenging and a complex development program involving a broad range of new technologies. Accenture has played a critical role in managing this complexity together with Mediaset expertise and competencies. They helped us drive the successful implementation of our Premium Play service.”

Accenture helps Mediaset launch Premium Plays 7 High performance delivered

The innovative, high-quality Over-the-Top-TV solution delivered by Accenture enabled Mediaset to be a first mover and gain a competitive advantage for broadcasting and broadband convergent services in the important Italian TV and Internet marketplace. Subsequent initiatives enabling the launch of new products and services continue to support this leadership.

Teaming with Accenture supports opportunities through more targeted Total cost of ownership has also been Mediaset’s growth objectives and vision advertising, and gives the company a reduced. A smaller team is now required of becoming a true multimedia company. closer relationship with consumers. to manage the robust editorial process The pre-integrated assets and the Where once the only communication thanks to the high level of automation industrialized development processes with customers was through a monthly offered by the platform. Because the available at the Accenture Innovation bill, Mediaset can now understand the platform developed for Mediaset has a Center enable the development team to preferences and viewing habits of more reusable set of services for all devices, the deliver innovative products and services than one million people, and then company can continue to launch other in short time spans, helping Mediaset to leverage that information to propose new services very quickly. In addition, the continue to gain speed to market in a new services to increase average revenue flexible solution and the use of a com- dynamic and competitive marketplace. per user. Even anonymous users on mon back end enable Mediaset to extend Premium Play can register for the service existing services to new platforms quickly Greater knowledge of their customers’ and receive personalized offers—and and easily, avoiding the implementation interests and viewing patterns also this can encourage them to become a of ad hoc solutions for each new device provides Mediaset with new revenue Mediaset Premium subscriber. introduced to the market.

Premium Play together with ongoing collaboration with Accenture will continue to be a vital part of Mediaset’s business strategy. “The launch of this new service underscores Mediaset’s reputation as a market leader and innovator,” says Franco Ricci, Managing Director at Mediaset’s RTI, “and represents a significant step forward in becoming a true multimedia company and maintain- ing our content and technology leadership position in the current dynamic and competitive market.”

8 Accenture helps Mediaset launch Premium Play

Contacts About Accenture Francesco Venturini Accenture is a global management Global Broadcast Industry Lead consulting, technology services Accenture and outsourcing company, with [email protected] approximately 261,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Giovanni Gagliardi Combining unparalleled experience, Premium Play Project Delivery Lead comprehensive capabilities across all Accenture industries and business functions, and [email protected] extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company gener- ated net revenues of US$27.9 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2012. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

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