Objectives
HOL (Hellas On Line) is the leading alternative broadband and telephony provider in Greece with around 80,000 broadband subscribers. IPTV is a crucial product for HOL, with the launch of an IPTV service being a key driver for increasing subscriber acquisition and strengthening its position in an increasingly competitive market.

HOL approached 3Vision to develop and acquire the content proposition for its IPTV launch, from strategy development and business modelling through to content acquisition and marketing.

3Vision Approach
3Vision initially focused on developing a comprehensive content strategy for HOL. This process included:

• Competitive analysis including content offer and pricing
• Benchmarking versus comparable international services
• Analysis of available content
• Providing all content inputs for the overall IPTV business model
• Developing a strong content proposition including TV channels and VOD that would differentiate HOL in the Greek TV market

Once the proposition was agreed, 3Vision led the implementation phase of the project by negotiating content deals with all the required providers – both TV channels and Hollywood studios. This work included all commercial and contractual negotiations, with HOL effectively outsourcing this area of their business so that they could focus on the operational priorities of launch preparation.

Results
The HOL IPTV service launched successfully with TV channels from leading providers such as Discovery, Eurosport, Disney and ESPN. VOD movies were acquired from 3 Hollywood studios – Sony, Paramount and NBC Universal. Through strong and experienced negotiations 3Vision ensured that HOL minimised their upfront content costs in a market where initial subscriber numbers were projected to be relatively low.

3Vision continues to support HOL with its IPTV service by negotiating additional content deals, ensuring they maximise the value from their existing agreements and advising on marketing activities.

“3Vision has helped us to better understand the content industry.
Together we formed a strong strategy for our market and an attractive proposition for our IPTV product. We are very pleased with 3Vision’s services as they have managed to accelerate the content acquisition process, achieve preferential terms with providers and manage the communication with the Hollywood studios. 3Vision had the experience to drive us through the right decisions and help us build a successful IPTV service.” Alex Chelmis, Digital Media Manager, HOL

September 2009