MIPTV 2013 – Cannes. After its launch in Sweden, cloud-based TV operator Magine is preparing to launch in Germany and Spain later this year.
The company eventually wants to offer the service across Europe. A UK launch is not expected before the first quarter of 2014.
Magine launched in Sweden last week with a bouquet consisting of national Swedish public broadcaster SVT and private broadcaster TV4, as well international channels including CNN International, BBC, Eurosport, National Geographic, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, with more agreements on the way.
The launch of Magine First Edition comes after months of testing the service. During last year’s MIPCOM, Magine started its pilot.
A subscription to the service, which brings live TV and cloud PVR across a number of device, costs 99 Swedish kroner (around €11.50) a month.
Magine claims to be “a pure TV service that has removed the complicated installation of set-top boxes, dishes and cables by engineering a secure cloud-based architecture.”
Magine also addresses the fragmentation in mobile TV, where currently there are different catch-up services on tablets and smart phones, by providing both live and catch-up in the same place across all devices.
Magine is the result of two years work by a group of pay-TV experts, internet professionals and technology specialists who asked themselves the fundamental question: “If TV was invented today what would it look like?”
Commenting on Magine’s Swedish launch chairman Michael Werner said : “Magine re-defines TV by combining cloud-based live TV, catch-up and on-demand programming in the same place. The company has pioneered technology that has never existed before and we are proud to have been accepted as a service that both viewers and content providers consider excellent.”
Turner Broadcasting System’s director of distribution in the Nordic countries, Ramon Zwartkruis, added: “We have been testing the service for almost six months and we are delighted with the result – the service at launch looks really high-class and this seems to be the viewers perception of Magine as well.”
For broadcasters and content providers: Magine creates value for broadcasters by providing greater reach, a route to content discovery that really works and social interaction among viewers. This will lead to increasing returns on the vast library of content which broadcasters already have rights to. Magine enhances distribution by providing a viewer-designed experience which is supported by the TV value chain.
For viewers: Magine is a subscription service that offers the ultimate freedom of watching live and recorded programming from all your favourite channels on all devices: TV screens, smartphones,
tablets or computers. It has a slick design, enviable speed and delivers a high-quality picture which adapts to the available internet connection. A phone or tablet can be used as a stand-alone viewing device and also as a remote control for the TV set or PC, guiding the viewer in content discovery and ‘second screen’ interactions.
Magine is currently available on Apple devices and in Samsung smart TV’s. More TV platforms and Android tablets are on the way.
