Inuk Taps Move for Broadband TV Service

Written by Ryan Lawler

Friday, September 12. 2008 at 04:20 PM EDT Post a comment

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Broadband video provider Inuk Networks has chosen Move Networks Inc. and its adaptive streaming technology to deliver broadcast TV direct to user PCs.

Inuk operates a service called Freewire that enables universities and service providers to offer IPTV services without investing in set-top boxes. By connecting direct to end user PCs, Inuk provides a "virtual set-top box" with the same features as broadcast TV services, including a full electronic program guide (EPG), instant channel change, picture-in-picture, and on-screen overlays.

Inuk CEO Marcus Liassides says his company chose Move Networks after an exhaustive search for a delivery technology that would enable broadcast-quality IP-based TV on open networks. (Previously, the company was providing multicast services in a closed network environment.)

The company says it evaluated a number of possibilities, including peer-to-peer (P2P) and proprietary streaming technologies, but Move came closest to enabling broadcast-like quality and functionality. According to Liassides, key features included Move's ability to offer fast channel-change and adaptive bitrate technology.

"Our usage is three-and-a-half hours every day. Our users don't expect their TV to stop, because its needs buffering," Liassides says.

Inuk currently has 160,000 rooms under contract with universities in the U.K., and more than 50,000 viewers on the Freewire service. And with an $18 million round of funding announced in June, the company has plans for international expansion. According to Liassides, Inuk currently has trials of its service underway with universities in Canada and expects to enter the U.S. market by the end of the year.