SmartLabs: integrator of Widevine solutions

SmartLabs, a leader in the development of service delivery platforms for interactive digital television and other innovative solutions for telecom operators, has become Certified Widevine Integrator Partner (CWIP).

Widevine’s Digital Rights Management solutions for Over-The-Top services are used by the largest media companies, such as WarnerBros., VUDU, Netflix, YouTube video hosting and by the major IPTV operators to protect streamed and downloaded digital content against illegal copying. In 2010, Widevine was acquired by Google.

Appealing licensing policy of the vendor and additional monetization options provide obvious benefits to the customer business. The integration conditions offered by SmartLabs will help the operator to minimize investments in the solution and increase service profitability.

The terms of the partnership agreement include integration of SmartLabs platforms for IPTV services and content delivery over the OTT networks (SmartTUBE, SmartMEDIA) with the Widevine DRM system and providing of the services of installation, configuration and integration of the Widevine software with the OTT operator platforms.

For the operators, a key advantage of Widevine DRM system is a high degree of content protection fully matching copyright holder requirements. In addition, the operators will be able to expand the range of services involving protected content. For example, subscribers can watch videos protected by a DRM certificate on their mobile devices, such as STBs, tablets or laptops with various operating systems and browsers, mobile phones, gaming consoles etc.. Widevine solutions are efficiently run on many types of devices, including iOS, Android and SmartTV platforms. Another benefit of Widevine technologies is the full-scale support of Flash video, which makes them extremely popular in today's video market.

To date, the total number of Widevine installations has exceeded 300 million. About 233 million of installations are related to Connected TV, Blue-Ray players etc., which makes up 82% of the market. About 65 million of installations are on Android devices. It is expected that before the end of the year Android will account for another 10 per cent growth in the total installation count. According to ABI Research, a renowned expert in telecoms market research, Google Widevine and Microsoft Playready lead the DRM market.

"SmartLabs actively develops its OTT offering. Experts say that OTT is one of the most promising digital TV services today. We are eager to provide the robust protection to operators and empower subscribers with advanced features of modern interactive services run on a variety of devices. The partnership with Widevine gives this opportunity to us," says Mikhail Grachev, SmartLabs CEO.

About the companies

Widevine provides solutions for the delivery of digital entertainment to any device. Hundreds of service providers use Widevine’s multiplatform DRM and video optimization solutions to protect content. Today, millions of consumers enjoy digital content secured and optimized by Widevine on various devices and STBs from the leading vendors. In 2010, Google acquired Widevine. For more details on the company, please visit: www.widevine.com.

SmartLabs is the leading provider of multi-screen, multi-network solutions for the video streaming sector. SmartLabs’ solutions deliver content services to over 7 million subscribers around the globe on multiple devices from set-top boxes to mobile phones. Smartlabs' client base includes telcos (fixed and mobile), ISP's, cable operators, content and app service providers. SmartLabs partners with 25 IPTV market leaders including Widevine, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Samsung and LG.  Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Smartlabs has offices in USA, Canada,  UK, Cyprus and has been established for over 15 years, creating innovative solutions for the interactive TV market.