Blog
March 13, 2026 • Smartlabs Editorial
How to Create Great Streaming Apps: The Make-or-Buy Dilemma
In-house development or vendor solution? We break down the real trade-offs operators face when building IPTV and OTT streaming platforms — and how to make the right call for your business.
March 9, 2026 • Igor Rumyantsev
IPTV Middleware: Architecture, Vendors, and Platform Guide for Telecom Operators
A practitioner's guide to IPTV middleware architecture — how platforms are structured, what to look for in a vendor, and where the industry is heading.
February 16, 2026 • Smartlabs
Don't get left behind: 3 tech trends reshaping the Latam Pay TV landscape by 2026
Powering the next generation of IPTV/OTT services in Latin America with AI-driven personalization, super-aggregation, and low-latency streaming solutions.
December 6, 2022 • mkuznetsova
Straight to the point: do you really need Cloud and/or SaaS?
News SaaS and Cloud are definitely buzzwords when we’re discussing video services, specifically OTT delivery to customers. When speaking about them…
June 16, 2022 • mkuznetsova
With cable subscription growth outperforming the rest of the world, the Philippines market is breaking new ground in Asia
News Over the past few years, the Philippines has seen significant growth in cable and telecommunications services, particularly outside the capital, Manilla.
February 14, 2022 • mkuznetsova
STBs, RDK & the environment: how Smartlabs is designing for the future
News Set Top Boxes (STBs) are the point where subscribers and providers meet. They are an access point for delivering content to the home…
August 5, 2021 • mkuznetsova
IPTV and machine learning
News There is only one metric by which you can gauge the success of an IPTV service. It is not subscriber numbers, market share or hours watched: it is revenue.
March 22, 2021 • mkuznetsova
New analytics engine from Smartlabs helps businesses better understand viewing behaviour
News Demand for OTT services had already been on the increase, but with coronavirus, there has been a massive surge in both viewership and the average watch…
December 9, 2020 • mkuznetsova
Why cloud is the key to growth in IPTV
News The value of the IPTV market is set to double over the next five years. Such growth, driven by a shift from traditional cable and satellite delivery…
October 21, 2020 • mkuznetsova
Experience from the set top box (STB) market makes us smarter and faster
News Mikhail Grachev, CEO at Smartlabs, says that entering the set top box (STB) market was one of the biggest learning curves of his life: “When we first set…
September 26, 2020 • mkuznetsova
Six things you didn’t know about Smartlabs
News The ability to remain agile is a crucial requirement for any business, but now more than ever. For Smartlabs, this is not a new feeling.
August 18, 2020 • mkuznetsova
The Smartees 2020: an annual Top Ten celebration of international film chosen by Smartlabs
News As leading providers of software solutions for the delivery of video-on-demand – we know the impact of beautifully crafted, amazing content. So…
November 25, 2019 • mkuznetsova
Time for Smart TV: Why Do Operators Need Good Apps?
News Applications have a solid footprint in our daily lives. We use them for thousands of things: to communicate, to monitor our physical activity…
August 30, 2018 • mkuznetsova
The Path to Ultra HD: What Modern TV Set-Top Boxes Can Do?
News Video playback is developing towards better resolution, higher frame rate and improved picture quality. Such boosted TV performance is called Ultra High…
May 17, 2018 • mkuznetsova
How to control the quality of TV services?
News With the growing penetration of IPTV and OTT TV, operators fight ever more aggressively to win every available subscriber. Such competition sets a new…
January 18, 2018 • mkuznetsova
Smart Steps to Interactive IPTV
News As we hear over and over again linear TV channels are losing their popularity so why does a service provider need to offer linear channels when their…