German DSL provider 1&1 has set up a digital TV platform in collaboration with B2B service providers Zattoo and ABOX42.
1&1 Digital-TV is the first fully cloud-based TV service offered by a fixed-line provider in Germany, according to the company. It can be signed up for as an option for €9.99 per month to the tariffs DSL 50 and DSL 100. The minimum contract period is 24 months.
The basic package contains around 90 free-to-air TV channels including the German public broadcasters’ channels in HD quality. Up to three TV streams can be used in parallel. For an extra fee of €6.99 per month, the commercial broadcasters’ free-to-air channels can be watched in HD resolution. The line-up also comprises subscription packages with thematic channels from €6.99 per month and foreign-language channels from €5.99 per month. The first month is free of charge in all cases.
In addition to an electronic programme guide (EPG), customers can access interactive functions such as recording, pausing, instant restart and catch-up. With instant restart, currently running TV shows can be watched from the beginning through the EPG. The EPG also contains the catch-up feature enabling viewers to watch selected programmes up to seven days following their initial broadcast. The interactive functions are, however, not available for all channels and programmes for copyright reasons.
TV recordings can be set at home or on the go using the smartphone. They are stored in a personal cloud offering space for 10 hours of recordings in the basic package. 100 further hours of recording space (250 GB) can be purchased for €2.99 per month while 200 further hours (500 GB) cost €4.99 per month. The first month is free of charge in both cases.
1&1 Digital-TV can be accessed on the TV set using the 1&1 TV box included in the basic package at no extra charge. The box is supplied by German set-top-box provider ABOX42, a company spokesman confirmed to Broadband TV News. 1&1 has opted for the model ABOX42 M30.
The multiscreen service can also be accessed by Wi-Fi on tablets and smartphones (Android/iOS) with apps for Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV being offered, too. For PCs and laptops, browser-based access is available.
Technical wholesale provider for 1&1 Digital-TV is Zattoo with its white label B2B platform solution, a Zattoo spokesman confirmed to Broadband TV News.
1&1 Digital-TV is not 1&1’s first foray into the TV area. Since February 2015, the United Internet subsidiary has been offering its DSL customers the option Digital TV – provided by Telekom. 1&1 thereby acts as a reseller of Deutsche Telekom’s IPTV platform Entertain.
Whether the new TV service set up in collaboration with Zattoo and ABOX42 will complement or replace the Telekom reseller product, is currently unclear. 1&1 hasn’t responded to a call from Broadband TV News yet. On the 1&1 website, Digital TV – provided by Telekom continues to be listed.
Information regarding 1&1 Digital-TV, the available channels, subscription packages and interactive functions is available on the website https://dsl.1und1.de/fernsehen and as a PDF document. Further details are provided in an electronic handbook (172 pages) by 1&1.
Update, January 2, 2018, 14.30 CET: 1&1 has ceased marketing the reseller product Digital TV – provided by Telekom with the introduction of 1&1 Digital-TV, a 1&1 spokeswoman told Broadband TV News. The contracts of existing customers will remain in place during a transition period until the end of 2018, she added. Existing customers wanting to use the new TV service can move from their current tariff to a broadband tariff from 1&1 and sign up for 1&1 Digital-TV at the same time.
