Asian Television Network Canada and Tata Communications join hands to launch new OTT service across Canada

The partnership will enable ATN to deliver a mix of news, sports and entertainment content to Canadian viewers.

Tata Communications recently announced its partnership with the Asian Television Network (ATN) Canada, a South Asian broadcaster, to bring the network's content to Canadian viewers, with potential for further international expansion. Using Tata Communications' media ecosystem, ATN Canada will deliver a mix of news, sports and entertainment content to Canadian viewers on virtually any device later this summer.

ATN Canada will leverage Tata Communications' end-to-end managed over-the-top (OTT) and playout services to deliver content in an intuitive app format. Through the first phase of deployment, the network's extensive mix of South Asian cultural content will be made available through several linear channels, across multiple formats such as iOS and Apple TV, Android, Roku, Fire TV, and Smart TVs. This will complement ATN's current national distribution of more than 50 linear services, enabling the network to future-proof its offering as the way people consume content continues to evolve.

Tata Communications currently provides ATN Canada with video transport solutions to seamlessly deliver media content via broadcast to customers in Canada. With the expansion of OTT services, ATN aims to reach more viewers and enable them to view content virtually anywhere, anytime, and on any device, as video traffic is set to constitute 80 per cent of all consumer internet traffic by 2019, up from 64 per cent in 2014.

"With consumer internet traffic growing exponentially every year, it was imperative for us to expand our content delivery strategy to ensure a reliable viewing experience for our customers," says Shan Chandrasekar, president and chief executive officer of ATN, in a press release.

Chandrasekar further adds, "The way today's millennials like to consume content, anytime, anywhere, and on any device, is a far cry from the way their parents used to watch traditional TV just 10 years ago. Yet, today's millennials will constitute tomorrow's conventional families, and will increasingly demand personalised, brilliant content. Tata Communications' cloud-based media ecosystem will arm us with the ability to accelerate time to market and bring richer content experiences to our viewers today, and in the future."

Says Rangu Salgame, chief executive officer, growth ventures, Tata Communications, in a press release, "We are excited to expand our relationship with ATN Canada by becoming its sole provider of global OTT connectivity through our flexible, scalable content delivery network. This globally scalable model enables ATN Canada to launch news, sports, and entertainment content to all its customers across Canada, and globally in the future."

Tata Communications' media ecosystem combines traditional video contribution services with IP-based connectivity to create a flexible and innovative global media platform. The ecosystem enables seamless global transport and management of content as a cloud-based managed service and supports global media distribution requirements, OTT, and mobility applications.