Rich Fiscus
5 May 2008 1:04
On May 1 Sezmi Corporation announced a service intended to compete with both cable and satellite television services in the U.S. The service, also called Sezmi, uses a combination of broadband internet and terrestrial DTV broadcasts to deliver both live and on-demand television offerings.
The company describes the Sezmi service as "The first complete TV 2.0 offering that seamlessly integrates traditional television with movies and Internet video, optimized for on-demand viewing and is personalized for the viewer," referring to a combination of features that make the service unique.
The internet component appears to be the linchpin of the whole operation. In addition to using it for on-demand programming, Sezmi is looking to the internet, or more accurately telecommunications companies themselves, to promote their product.
“Sezmi focused on the television consumer and built an entirely new television offering from the ground up to meet the needs of viewers that want a premium experience at an affordable price,” said Buno Pati, Sezmi co-founder and chief executive officer. “We have rallied support across multiple industries and are excited to work with our partners to offer a new and differentiated TV choice to consumers.”
In English this means they're hoping ISPs will see Sezmi as a way to compete with satellite and cable providers without the costs of setting up an IPTV solution, as AT&T and Verizon are doing with the U-verse and FIOS services respectively. In addition they'll be relying on local DTV broadcasters for both local programming and broadcast bandwidth required for additional channels to compete with cable and satellite services.
Personalization will be provided by the required Sezmi Digital Media Receiver, which will be able to customize each user's individual experience based on a combination of manually set preferences and automated recommendations. In addition to ease of use for the viewer, this will be used to target ads to individuals to make it more attractive to advertisers.
Although Sezmi hasn't announced what companies they're working with to provide programming or bandwidth (either internet or terrestrial broadcast), in a press release from the beginning of this month they say they've "established partnerships with broadcasters, broadband providers and content companies to commence technical trials in preparation for commercial launch across several major U.S. markets later this year."
You can find more information about the company on their website.