Alcatel-Lucent today announced it has acquired British software and applications provider Tamblin to enable users to access content, brands and entertainment over its IPTV platform. The partnership wraps up an eventful week of acquisitions, customer engagements and platform development announcements for AlcaLu.

To date, Tamblin’s software has already been integrated into AlcaLu’s IPTV applications, AmigoTV and MiView TV, both of which allow service providers to develop personalized IPTV service for their customers. The software has also been integrated into AlcaLu partner Microsoft Corp.’s Mediaroom IPTV platform.

Through Tamblin’s solutions, broadcasters can develop interactive TV advertising campaigns and track usage to create one campaign that runs across multiple operators. AlcaLu and Tamblin’s partnership also offers service providers interactive TV applications through their existing IPTV middleware to give subscribers a unique TV experience that lets them interact with brands and entertainment services.

AlcaLu will be using Tamblin’s software platform, i-ZoneTV, to add features such as interactive advertising applications and audience response capabilities into their service offerings. The company, who just last week lowered its revenue expectations for the year, hopes the acquisition will add revenue generating applications, as well as differentiate its service packages and add value to their IP-based network infrastructure.

Ron Westfall, Research Director of Access and Applications at Current Analysis, said that the Alcatel-Lucent management has been challenged by these lowered revenue expectations and is responding by leveraging its strengths and focusing on IPTV.

“It is no accident that even after such an announcement they are investing and putting their money where there mouth is in technology that is related to IPTV, because it represents a good hope for Alcatel-Lucent to turn around its overall financial picture,” said Westfall. “There is no chance Alcatel-Lucent is going to disappear from the map like a start up a few years back. But what Alcatel-Lucent is looking at is how can they today optimize their existing portfolio.”

AlcaLu’s latest acquisition of Tamblin feeds directly into its efforts to enhance their overall IPTV solution set, he said. Westfall called the acquisition a “smart, savvy move” on AlcaLu’s part, but not one that will have a high impact or require rivals such as Ericsson and Cisco to respond directly.

The acquisition is also a testament to the growing prevalence of interactive advertising in the IPTV industry. “Content providers and broadcaster infrastructure operator partners all have to have advertising as part of their ability to, in essence, to be profitable,” said Westfall. “Advertising within an interactive, multicast and unicast world will become a different world. But there is reason to believe the content providers, equipment providers like Alcatel-Lucent, and carriers themselves will figure out how to adapt advertising models to this new universe.”

Tamblin’s software platform is already being utilized by clients such as the BBC, BskyB, ITV, Channel Five and Central Office of Information. Its staff of 13 will join AlcaLu’s convergence business activities within its multimedia and payment team. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.