United Group, the leading telecommunications and media group in Southeast Europe, launched the third generation of EON, its cloud-based television and entertainment platform, across the region. The platform is built around an AI-driven engine and a redesigned electronic program guide, and the full experience is now available on an app as well as on a set-top box.

The platform upgrades the entertainment offering of operators across United Group’s markets, reaching customers through the brands they already know. It provides a common technology platform for Vivacom, Nova and Telemach allowing each operator to offer the service under its own brand.

The rollout is taking place market by market:

• Slovenia, where the platform is already live with Telemach
• Bulgaria: officially launched with Vivacom on September 16
• Greece, where the platform will be available under the Nova brand
• Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, where Telemach will roll out the platform over the coming months

Stan Miller, CEO of United Group, said: “This is the best cloud-based pay TV platform we have ever given our operators and our customers, with an AI-driven engine and a new electronic program guide at its heart. It comes with the best set-top box we have produced, and with an app that now does everything the box does. The app will remove the need for a set-top box in many homes, which is a real advantage for our operators and for their customers, who can be watching within minutes instead of waiting for an installation.

The leading pay TV platform in our markets is built by our own technology team, with our customers in mind. I am proud of what they have delivered, and it will reach every market we serve.”

Asen Velikov, CEO of Vivacom, said: “This is a step change for our television customers in Bulgaria, which further strengthens Vivacom’s TV and entertainment offering. Our customers get a program guide that learns what they watch and puts it in front of them, which transforms how households interact with the platform and access content.”