In a partnership that seemingly will compete with TiVo’s approach with cable operators, Arris and Wurl Inc. have launched Arris Market, a new cable-tailored, “open” platform that enables MSOs to mix over-the-top content with traditional linear video services to set-top boxes, starting with the Arris Whole Home Solution.
They said the resulting platform is standards-based and features an HTML5 interface that “integrates thousands of OTT content choices into a single, seamless experience.” Additionally, Arris Market will allow operators the ability to customize and brand the look and feel of that environment.
They will demonstrate Arris Market at next week’s The Independent Show in Kansas City, an event put on by the National Cable Television Cooperative and the American Cable Association.
By targeting that event, it would seem that Arris Market is being developed for tier 2/3 operators – a market that TiVo has found success with for operator partnerships that enable MSOs to support next-gen video service that mix live, on-demand and OTT content on a unified platform.
Comcast has shown some interest in licensing its X1 platform to other cable operators, including independent MSOs, but has not announced any agreements involving trials or deployments. Cox Communications and Comcast confirmed in January that they’ve held some X1-related licensing discussions.
"The Wurl platform enables cable operators using the ARRIS Whole Home Solution to give their subscribers access to a broad selection of popular streaming services without the complex setup of additional third-party devices or 'smart TV' technology," said Sean Doherty, CEO of Wurl, in a statement. "This new capacity to select and discover both traditional and OTT content from one remote control has exciting implications for the future of set-top functionality."
"We view the launch of the ARRIS Market as a cornerstone in developing and deploying tomorrow's interactive video services," added Debbie Stackis, SVP and GM, consumer solutions at Arris. "We continue to advance our roadmap and focus on the principles of quality, flexibility, and efficiency to foster our leadership position in content delivery."
Palo Alto, Calif.-based Wurl based in Palo Alto and founded in 2010, provides online video programming, metadata and cloud-based services to video service providers via APIs and hosted apps.
