De Pasquale, F. (2008). A business model proposal for the commercialisation strategy of Devoteam’s innovative services for digital TV [Master Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12708/182005
Devoteam T&M has developed a software client called Whisper that runs on Personal Video Recorder - Set Top Box (PVR-STB) for digital TV and is integrated into the service platform of television service providers. Whisper is an intelligent agent capable of analysing the user's watching behaviour - including usage of local hard disk - and of providing value added TV services divided into two main categories: programme recommendations and targeted advertising. The first is relatively simple to implement as it only requires the presence of the client in the PVR-STB. The second also requires a backend infrastructure. A number of TV operators have recognised the high potential of Whisper and have begun contacting Devoteam in order to experiment the service with market trials. The technology is new to Europe and no market implementation has been undertaken at the present time. Whisper is a complex solution with potential impact on the business of several actors in the TV arena. In addition, the European TV market addressed by Devoteam is extremely heterogeneous and is dependent on the transmission technology considered. The Devoteam T&M group has long been working on enhanced TV services and has thus developed a considerable know-how in this field. However, being first part of Siemens and then of Nokia Siemens Networks, its role was relegated to that of a pure R&D division, while high level decisions on business scope and strategy were taken in Munich or in Helsinki. Within the new organisation, the Belgian group has gained much more freedom and is now entirely responsible for the management of its own products and businesses. This new setting, however, has brought to light some missing competences in the media and advertising business, such as marketing, sales and product management, where the new technology is due to be commercialised. This work will thus attempt to analyse and answer the main questions faced by a typical R&D focused company wishing to access a completely new market for which the innovative service represents the highest value proposition. With the help of general insights from the fields of technology commercialisation and strategy, the specific case of Whisper will be analysed and a business model proposal, which highlights opportunities and challenges posed to Devoteam, will be presented.