Business TV is the new wave of business communications. Live video streaming, video on demand, content pre-population—these are the tools that businesses are increasingly adopting today for training, corporate communications, and digital signage. And thanks to recent developments in broadband and video compression technologies, businesses can deliver internal and customer-facing videos for a fraction of the cost of previous systems.
So it should be no surprise that Hughes has enhanced its business IPTV technology portfolio with its recent acquisition of Utah-based Helius, Inc. Though small, with only about 40 employees, Helius is already a significant player in business-class IPTV applications such as digital signage, training, and corporate communications.
“We saw a natural fit in teaming with Helius to better address the market for business TV,” said Pradman Kaul, president and CEO of Hughes. “It significantly enhances our growing managed services portfolio and uniquely positions Hughes as a comprehensive provider of IPTV services, offering end-to-end capabilities of content management, hardware, installation, maintenance, and network operations.”
Case in point: Safeway, Inc., the second largest grocery store chain in North America, uses the Hughes/Helius IPTV solution to deliver training and corporate communications to nearly 2,000 locations, including stores, administrative offices, manufacturing plants, distribution centers, and data centers. Safeway’s training network provides employees with access to both live and videoon- demand (VOD) training services. Workers also receive timely information on promotions, product changes, and other updates, enabling Safeway to offer exceptional customer service to its patrons.
According to Dan Pryor, vice president of Corporate Communications and Media Production for Safeway, “The Hughes/Helius system provides the most efficient use of bandwidth we have ever seen in a satellite system. We are seeing a 140 percent improvement in bandwidth utilization.”
Other customers to benefit from the combined Hughes/Helius digital media solutions are JCPenney, Orkin, and the U.S. Social Security Administration.
“Businesses around the globe are looking for better ways to communicate with their customers and employees,” said Mike Tippets, president and CEO of Helius. “Together with Hughes we are able to provide those organizations, and the integrators who service them, with complete solutions that are easy to buy and easy to use.”
Hughes and Helius—an unbeatable combination in broadcasting…business style.