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Catena

Catena is a comprehensive IPTV service management solution consisting of server software and client applications for Smart TV, mobile devices, and set-top boxes. The system is designed to deliver both paid and free television to end subscribers.

Catena client applications are available for the following platforms:

  • Samsung Tizen — application for Samsung Smart TV
  • LG WebOS — application for LG Smart TV
  • Android — application for Android TV, mobile devices, and tablets

Content is not included in the Catena delivery — it is always provided by the video streaming service operator.

Target Audience

Catena is designed for video streaming service operators who want to launch their own IPTV service. This can be:

  • Telecom operators — Internet service providers who want to offer their subscribers interactive television services
  • OTT operators — companies that provide video content over the Internet
  • Cable operators — traditional TV operators transitioning to IP technologies
  • Corporate clients — organizations creating their own internal TV services for employees or customers
  • Media companies — publishers and broadcasters who want to create a direct connection with their audience

Key Capabilities

Catena provides a complete set of tools for managing an IPTV service:

Content Management

  • TV Channel Management — create, configure, and organize broadcast channels. Each channel has a unique name for streaming, a display title for users, a logo, and a link to an EPG source
  • Channel Package Management — create tariff packages from groups of channels. Packages are used to sell channel bundles to subscribers
  • Electronic Program Guide (EPG) Management — connect and synchronize electronic program guide sources, display program schedules for each channel

Subscriber Management

  • Subscriber Management — register subscribers, manage their data (name, phone), generate tokens for content playback
  • Subscription Management — assign channel packages to subscribers, manage content access, support both paid and free packages

Monitoring and Analytics

  • Playback Sessions — view current and historical viewing sessions: which channels subscribers are watching, from which devices, how much data has been transferred
  • Operations Log — detailed history of all actions in the system (creating/deleting subscribers, changing subscriptions, etc.) with filtering and audit capabilities

Administration

  • Portal Settings — configure service parameters: name, domain, branding (logo, description), API key management, free package configuration
  • Manager Management — create administrator accounts with different access levels: infrastructure management, subscriber management, content management

Web Interface and API

Catena provides two ways to manage the system:

Web Interface (UI)

Through the web interface, administrators can:

  • Visually manage all entities — create, edit, and delete channels, packages, subscribers through a convenient graphical interface
  • View real-time statistics — see active viewing sessions, number of subscribers, channel popularity
  • Upload logos and images — add visual elements for channels and portal
  • Manage program guide — view and update EPG, link channels to program sources
  • Administer access — create managers with different permissions, manage API keys
  • Track operation history — view logs of all actions for audit and control

Management API

The API is designed for programmatic integration of Catena with the operator's external systems:

  • Subscriber Management Automation — integration with billing systems for automatic creation/blocking of subscribers on payment/non-payment of services
  • CRM Integration — synchronization of subscriber data, subscriptions, and operations with the operator's CRM system
  • Dynamic Content Management — programmatic addition/removal of channels and packages, metadata updates
  • Analytics Retrieval — export viewing statistics for external analytics and reporting systems
  • EPG Updates — programmatic trigger for updating program guide from external sources
  • Portal Monitoring — programmatic reading of portal settings and status

The API is built on REST standards using JSON for data exchange. Authentication is performed through API keys (X-Auth-Token header), which can be generated in the web interface. The API supports pagination for working with large amounts of data.

Typical Use Cases

Small-scale operator:

  • Primarily uses the web interface for manual management of a small number of subscribers (up to several thousand)
  • Manually creates channels and packages
  • Registers subscribers through the UI when contacting support

Medium and large-scale operator:

  • Uses API for automatic synchronization with billing and CRM
  • Automates creation/blocking of subscribers when payment status changes
  • Uses the web interface for monitoring, analytics, and manual operations
  • Configures automatic EPG updates through API

Documentation Structure

Catena documentation is organized into sections according to the operator's main tasks:

  1. Quick Start — step-by-step guide for initial setup
  2. Content Management — working with channels, packages, and EPG
  3. Subscriber Management — registration and service of subscribers
  4. Monitoring and Analytics — viewing statistics and sessions
  5. Administration — portal configuration and access management
  6. API Reference — complete reference for all API methods
  7. Integration — examples of integration with external systems

If you are just starting to work with Catena, we recommend starting with the Quick Start section, which will guide you through the main stages of system setup.