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May 20, 2020

Zattoo and Skyworth/STRONG announce strategic partnership for set-top boxes

Zattoo extends end to end white label IPTV platform with 4K set-top box based on Android TV

ZATTOO has expanded its portfolio of supported devices with a new 4K Android TV set-top box by entering into a strategic partnership with Skyworth Digital, the world's largest manufacturer of set-top boxes, and its German subsidiary, STRONG DIGITAL GmbH.

ZATTOO’s B2B customers can now rely on a fully integrated service offering as part of the Android TV Operator Tier program. It includes ZATTOO's TV-as-a-Service and Skyworth/STRONG's set-top box offering. As a Skyworth subsidiary, STRONG will deliver the 4K Android TV Box, branding and after sales device service across Europe.

The Custom Launcher for Android TV provided by ZATTOO is an extension of the stand-alone Android TV application. Thanks to deeply integrated functions such as access to the Google Play Store, end customers get more than just a TV application. They can choose from thousands of apps from the Google Play Store to install and use on the set-top box. For the network operator, it is also possible to offer its customers a selection of apps as soon as the box is set up.

For ZATTOO’s B2B customers, the expanded offering has several advantages. These include fast market launch with a powerful TV service, many attractive content discovery features as well as Skyworth/STRONG’s 4K set-top box.

By choosing the ZATTOO White Label IPTV platform with this newly announced 4K Android TV set-top box, network operators don’t need to set up their own TV platform, which can often be time consuming and expensive, and they also don’t need to deal with integrating suitable hardware to provide their end customer a set-top box based service.

ZATTOO and Skyworth/STRONG are working together on a joint product development approach to ensure a long term sustainable lifecycle for network operators consisting of ZATTOO’s White Label IPTV platform, custom launcher application and Skyworth/STRONG’s 4K set-top boxes.

Martin Kogler, Managing Director STRONG Digital GmbH: “We are pleased to introduce into the market a strong 4K set-top box solution on Android TV with ZATTOO. We are bringing the full power of Skyworth to the partnership to develop high-quality 4K set-top box products to incorporate the potential of future technologies into our roadmap early on. ZATTOO’s B2B customers can rely on the extensive in-country logistic, local support, customization and consultative capabilities of STRONG”.

Nicolas Westermann, Head of B2B Product at ZATTOO adds: “We are very pleased to have entered a partnership with Skyworth/STRONG as one of the world's leading manufacturers of 4K set-top boxes. ZATTOO is again reasserting its claim as an innovation leader, especially in the Android TV Operator Tier program. We are already one of the leading TV platforms for network operators in Europe and will continue to advance our pioneering role by providing outstanding services to our customers. The new integrated offering of TV-as-a-Service, high performance 4K hardware and Android TV is impressive proof of this.”

In view of developments in the market, this is a logical step by ZATTOO. Across the world, network operators are increasingly relying on Android TV as an alternative to Linux-based hardware. In 2019, ZATTOO already expanded its successful White Label IPTV platform offering to include Android TV for Operators, and with 1&1, one of the leading DSL and mobile operators in Germany, announced the first B2B customer to use the Android TV Custom Launcher from ZATTOO.

About Skyworth Shenzhen Skyworth Digital Technology Co. LTD., (Skyworth Digital), a member of the SKYWORTH Group, is the world’s leading provider of solutions for connected home offering a wide range of products including set-top boxes, broadband product, IoT and smart home products and solutions to customers throughout the globe. Skyworth Digital has over 20 years of experience serving pay-tv and telco operators globally and is continually evolving product and service offerings to satisfy the ever-changing content consumption habits of a global customer base, by providing innovations in networking, digitalization, and solutions for the smart home. Skyworth Digital is delivering over 39 million units annually to more than 90 countries by partnering with customers to provide value added, end to end solutions with the high quality products and services.

Additional information: www.skyworthdigital.com.

About STRONG STRONG, a member of the SKYWORTH group, a world leader in TV and TV reception systems and technology innovation. STRONG offers an extensive range of set-top boxes, terrestrial, satellite, cable, OTT receivers and accessories. For many years, STRONG has been providing an extensive range of set-top boxes through retailers and program suppliers. STRONG’s range of products and accessories can be customized to meet the diverse needs of network operators within specific territories. STRONG is a highly-experienced and capable technology partner and a pioneer in the Android TV OTT set-top box sector. Additional information can be found at http://www.strong.tv/.

About Zattoo With more than 30 customers and several million active users per month, Zattoo is one of the leading TV-as-a- Service platforms in Europe. Its customers include Tier 1 operators like 1&1 in Germany, eir in Ireland, Salt in Switzerland and Monaco Telecom, for whom Zattoo offers fully hosted and managed IPTV, OTT and TV Everywhere services. The focus is on a White Label product with state-of-the-art features and applications for all relevant devices and covering all common ones: Android TV for operator set- top boxes as well as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Smart TVs and mobile devices (iOS / Android / Windows 10). Zattoo gained recognition for its achievements in 2020 with the awarding of the Technology and Engineering Emmy® Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Contact Hanns Schempp, Head of Marketing TVP hanns.schempp@zattoo.com