SaskTel Selects Ericsson’s MediaFirst Platform for IPTV Offering

SaskTel has selected Ericsson’s cloud-based MediaFirst platform to power its next-generation IPTV service that will debut in early 2018.

MediaFirst, a multi-screen platform with personalization features, is being targeted to pay TV and OTT providers. SaskTel president and CEO Ron Styles noted in the announcement that using MediaFirst will also enable the company to expand its maxTV service to another 100,000 households across 300 communities in rural Saskatchewan.

Ericsson’s win at SaskTel comes amid big changes underway that could impact the vendor’s media and cloud hardware businesses.

Fellow Canadian service provider Telus is among the early adopters of MediaFirst. Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications, meanwhile, are pivoting to a multi-screen TV service underpinned by Comcast’s X1 platform.