Jackson Energy Authority Partners With Harmonic

Jackson Energy Authority and Harmonic have teamed up to launch JEA's groundbreaking, fully hosted headend management and video streaming solution for cable, broadband and telecommunications providers.

Powered by Harmonic's VOS®360 cloud platform, JEA's E+ Premier managed headend solution provides secure signal processing and delivery of MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and adaptive bit rate (ABR) signals to MVPDs for traditional multicast distribution, as well as for live and on-demand video streaming to subscribers. This solution enables operators to consolidate and economize existing headends, launch advanced streaming services quickly, reduce infrastructure costs, and generate new ad sales revenues that may not have been previously available. E+ Premier has been successfully deployed by several U.S. operators.

"Operators today need an efficient and economical approach to video, and that has to include broadband video streaming services if we want to stay relevant as a video provider," said Ben Lovins, senior vice president, telecommunications division at Jackson Energy Authority. "Working with Harmonic, an industry leader in cloud-based solutions for video streaming, we're able to address this critical market requirement and provide operators with a turnkey solution that delivers an exceptional experience for their subscribers."

As part of the managed headend arrangement, E+ Premier enables the elimination of expensive satellite reception and signal processing equipment, which allows operators to consolidate their headends quickly and deliver legacy multicast services to existing customers cost efficiently. At the same time, it creates the platform on which operators can launch new video streaming services with the advanced features customers want. JEA's own E+ Broadband division uses the platform to deliver streaming services to JEA customers, utilizing a SaaS business model to eliminate large upfront costs typically associated with launching video streaming services while providing a path for rapid growth. Harmonic's worldwide team of DevOps experts provides 24/7 monitoring and assistance to ensure the highest service availability for JEA and its managed headend customers. The cloud-based solution is future-proof, allowing operators to stay up to date with the latest streaming demands while continuing to support legacy multicast services.

"E+ Premier combines Jackson Energy Authority's expertise as an established operator with Harmonic's innovations in cloud and streaming to reshape the way operators distribute video," said Shahar Bar, senior vice president, video products and corporate development at Harmonic. "The solution offers the best of both worlds for the speedy launch of streaming services, complete with targeted ads and advanced customer features, while reducing operational costs and complexities associated with traditional multicast services. It's a unique offering in the market today."

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