DUBLIN -- As pay TV operators adopt models of continuous delivery to accelerate new product or feature introductions, they need more reliable ways to test and track the impact of those deployments on customers’ experiences in live networks. Today, at S3 Group’s second annual StormTest(R) North American User Group in Philadelphia, S3 Group disclosed that a dozen global pay TV operators are in various stages of trials of its live-network testing system, StormTest Warning Center.

Introduced late last year, Warning Center enables video service providers to execute live-network tests of new video services or features; delivers actionable data on the availability, stability, and performance of consumers’ experiences in the field; and provides a continuous feedback loop between development, engineering support and operations teams. According to Capgemini’s 2014-2015 World Quality Report, an extensive global research study of quality assurance (QA) and testing practices, 2014 marked the first time that more than half of QA and testing budgets were spent supporting new development initiatives, rather than maintenance activity. This transition is particularly acute in the pay TV industry, according to S3 Group.

“Pay TV operators are essentially becoming software companies, which requires a fundamental restructuring of how they approach product development, testing and service introductions,” said John Maguire, Chief Strategy Officer, TV Technology, S3 Group. “For our customers, yesterday’s mindset of ‘test and launch’ is being displaced by a more agile mindset of ‘launch and test.’”

Maguire continued: “We’re extremely pleased with the immediate market response to StormTest Warning Center. We now have more than a dozen operators across Europe, North America and Asia actively engaged with it, just months after its introduction. Warning Center is enabling our customers to embrace continuous service delivery while ensuring stability and Quality of Experience (QoE).”

S3 Group