The cloud-based interactive TV service OZ is set to make its debut in Poland this May.
According to Wirtualne Media, it will offer viewers linear TV channels, both Polish and international, along with some produced specifically for OZ.
Trials of the service to a closed group of users will start next week and continue until the end of the month.
OZ was established in Iceland, making its commercial debut in the country in December 2013.
OZ will be accessible on smart TVs, as well as mobile devices, requiring only the download of a free application from the App Store or Google Play.
Viewers will also be able to receive it via decoders connected to the internet. OZ’s revenues will be derived from selling packages with access to the cloud, with the monthly fee no higher than $8.
According to Radek Kobialko, OZ’s director for CEE, the cost of decoders will be around PLN100 (€23.8), with no further cost being incurred by viewers who chose not to opt for additional/subscription services.
OZ lists Jon von Tetzchner, the founder of Opera Software, as one of its main shareholders.
According to Kobialko, it will be rolled out across the world in Q4 this year and is adopting a different strategy to Netflix by avoiding competition with VOD services.
Instead, it wants to attract local broadcasters by giving them the opportunity to make their services available to audiences around the world.
